One Month
by pinkdigi
Summary: The summer when it all began. [taiora and mimato]
1. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story. The idea for this story is loosely based on the story "Spring Ranting" by LastRedSeaKin that I read a while ago (…it's very good, you should read it!)**

**Anyway, this is a TAIORA, but the other characters will make some appearances. I might also include some other couples, but not too much. **

**I've recently gone through this story again and fixed it up a bit (though not much of the actual story has been altered) but some things are different. I found out the real names of the Digidestined's parents, so that's one difference already.**

**Chapter One: Welcome Home  
**…………………………………………………………... 

Seventeen-year-old Sora Takenouchi sighed as she shifted positions on the bus. She was on her way to her mother's house, where she would be staying for one month. Thirty-one days…she could take that, right? How had she gotten herself into this mess, anyway?

……………………………………………………………

'_Sora, I've gotten a job offer in America,' Sora's father told her._

'_What! Does that mean we have to move, Daddy?' Sora asked, upset._

'_Well, I'm flying down there in a few days to check it out, which means you'll have to stay with your mom for the month, until I get back,' he began._

_Sora opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by her father. 'And I know that you and your mother haven't exactly gotten along lately, but you have to go, it's final. I've already called your mother, and she said she'd be glad to have you stay with her while I was gone. I'm going there to check it out. If I like it, I'll be moving to America. You can come, if you want. If you don't want to leave Japan, you'll have to live with your mother, and there are no other options. But if I don't decide to take the job, we'll stay here, unless you decide you want to live with your mom instead.'_

'_Yeah, like that could ever happen!' she exclaimed._

_Sora got up from the table, ran up the stairs to her room, and slammed the door shut. She called her friend, Yolei, who tried to console her. She decided it was no use to argue with her dad and beg him to take her with him to America, and began to gather up her belongings. A few days later, after calling her friends and telling them she would be gone for the first half of summer vacation (she didn't tell any of them, other than Yolei, about America yet, because she didn't want to worry them) she got on the bus, which was to take her to her mother's house, three towns over._

……………………………………………………………

Now, Sora was sitting on the uncomfortable and awkwardly quiet bus, wishing she had talked her dad into letting her come with him. Her father's words echoed in her head: _'I know that you and your mother haven't exactly gotten along lately…' _

Haven't gotten along lately? _That's an understatement,_ Sora thought. She and her mother rarely got along, and it had been like that since the divorce. When her parents separated, about three years ago, she had to choose between staying in Odaiba with her mother, and leaving with her father. She loved Odaiba, and she never imagined having to leave it (and her best friend, Mimi) but she couldn't bear to stay with her mother, just the two of them. They argued all the time and the only thing that ever managed to keep the peace was her dad. Without him there this summer, she just knew it would be an all-out war.

She hadn't even seen her mother since the day she left with her dad. She had never called to invite Sora to stay with her, or to even see how she was doing. Though they had their problems, deep down, Sora loved her mother, and almost missed her, in certain ways. She was sort of looking forward to this month. Maybe they could bond, and then she could possibly stay in Japan.

It wouldn't be all bad, she knew. She knew the town pretty well, and knew how to get around on her own. It would be nice to see all her friends again, especially Mimi. They had been best friends since either of them could remember and, although they had sort of lost touch these past few years, she was sure they'd pick up right where they had they left off.

Suddenly, the bus stopped. Looking around, Sora noticed she had reached her destination, and an uneasy feeling settled into her stomach. She was here; she was really back in Odaiba. She got off the bus, oversized duffel bag in hand, and looked around for her mother. She spotted her almost right away. She waved excitedly, and Sora got the fleeting impression that this might not be so bad, after all. Perhaps they had both changed, and would make an effort to not butt heads so much. Her mother walked over, and about fifty yards away, began picking up the pace, running to greet her.

"Sora, honey, I missed you so much! How have you been? Was it a good ride over?" she inquired as she hugged Sora.

"I've been good, and yes it was a pretty good ride over. I was kind of bored, and the other people were all old and weird, but it's okay," she laughed. "How have you been?" She almost couldn't believe it. They had been together for almost a minute, and weren't fighting—a new record maybe?

"I'm a lot better, now that you're here!" She felt a pang of guilt for leaving her after the divorce, for never calling or writing or visiting.

They walked to the car, and Sora put her bag in the backseat. She had changed a lot since she was little. She was no longer a tomboy, in fact, she was sort of a girly-girl. She had brought quite a lot of clothes and a bit of makeup with her, but somehow, it miraculously fit into one bag. Her overall appearance was very different. She was much taller, about five-foot-nine, and her hair had grown a little longer, a little past her shoulders. Her crimson eyes were the same as ever, only now the lashes were intensified with black mascara. She had her favourite lip gloss, Sparkling Bubblegum Pink, on her full, pouty lips and her ears had been pierced a second time, each hole showing off a small diamond stud. She was wearing a baby pink t-shirt that showed off just a tiny bit of her slim midriff, and a denim skirt, to reveal her long, tanned legs. She nervously pushed some hair behind her ears, hoping she made a good impression.

"There's one more thing you should know, though, dear. There's someone else living with us," her mother informed her. _Is she living with a guy? My mother? No way! _Sora thought, uneasily.

"Do you remember my friend Yuuko who used to live here? Well, she and her family lived on the other side of town, so her kids went to a different school than you did. Actually, her son went to Odaiba High the same time you did, but I doubt you'd remember him. Anyway, her husband got a job offer so they moved a few towns away, but her son didn't want to leave. He was planning to live here on his own and finish up his last couple years, but the thought of the poor boy all alone was terrible, so I offered the house. It was really empty, with only me in there, so I let him move in," she explained. "His name is Tai Kamiya."

Sora thought back, trying to remember Yuuko, with no luck. Tai went to Odaiba High with her? She couldn't remember him, either. Maybe when she saw him she would know. "What's Tai like?" she asked.

"Let's see...he's the same age as you, and very friendly. He's really funny and nice, very easygoing. I think you two will really hit it off…" her mother went on and on, telling her all about Tai, what he liked, what he didn't like, all the things you learn from living with someone. Finally, they arrived at the house. Sora grabbed her bag from the backseat and followed her mother inside. She looked around; it was the same as ever, not one object seemed out of place from the last time she was there.

Upon entering, to her left, was the staircase, with the same banister and carpeting and everything. There was the living room with the same, white couches and white carpeting, and two small steps that brought you to the kitchen, which was still hard flooring. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen, with a small sink and a hanging light. There was another counter, one that was attached up against the wall, with another sink. Sora was pleased to note that there was the same refrigerator and oven as always, though the kitchen table and chairs looked new. Sliding glass doors, right beside the refrigerator, brought you to the backyard, which had a nice patio and a big, underground pool.

There was a hallway to the right of her, which led off to the laundry room, a small bathroom, and a spare bedroom that nobody had ever used, because they also had a nicer one, upstairs. The house was very clean and elegant. It was even bigger than Sora remembered it to be.

She noticed a boy leaning against the island in the kitchen, watching the TV in the living room. He looked up, and smiled at Sora.

"Hey," he greeted her. For a moment, Sora was dumbfounded. He was very good-looking, much better than the boys back at her town. He had messy brown hair that somehow suited him, and shining brown eyes that she could see from her place, fifteen feet away from him. He had a strong jaw and straight, white teeth. She gave him the once-over. He had good posture, which was always a bonus. He was tall, taller than her; slim, but not scrawny. He was wearing a plain blue t-shirt (which showed off his muscles nicely, Sora thought) and baggy shorts.

She instantly knew, without a doubt, that she was going to have some fun during this coming month. She smiled at him, glad she picked an outfit that showed off her own assets.

She set her bag down beside the door, kicked off her shoes and walked towards him. "Mother," she called as her mother walked down the hallway and out of sight, "I have a bone to pick with you."

"Oh, and what is that?" Her mother's voice sounded uneasy.

"Well," Sora said, smiling very flirtatiously at Tai, "you spent the entire car ride over here telling me all about Tai here, but you left out what a cutie he was!" She stretched out her hand, inviting him to shake it. "Sora," she introduced herself.

"Tai," he said, grinning at her. He was rather flustered by the beautiful girl standing in front of him. _She sure looks different than in her pictures_, he thought to himself. He noticed that Sora was staring at him thoughtfully. "Everything alright?" he asked, concerned that he had something on his face.

"I know you," Sora said, trying to think of where she had met him before. "Mother?" she shouted to the other room as her mother poked her head out, "Do I know him?" Her mother smiled.

"High school, maybe?"

"No, that's not it..." Sora mumbled, racking her brain.

"Well, I think you two met once before, when you were about six. Remember Tai, your mother threw a Christmas party, and we were invited?"

Tai nodded, vaguely remembering her from eleven years before. "I'm surprised you remembered that," he said softly.

"Well," Sora beamed, "a girl never forgets her first kiss."

……………………………………………………………

_A six-year-old Sora and parents walked into the Kamiya's house, which was covered with Christmas decorations, and a beautiful Christmas tree in the corner. Her parents made their way to the group of adults, her mother letting go of her hand and telling her to go play with the other kids. She immediately wished she had Mimi with her. Sora wasn't normally a shy girl, not in the least, but all the other kids were already friends, and she felt awkward, like she was trying to force her way into the group._

'_Hi, I'm Tai. This is my house,' a small boy with busy hair says. 'This is my sister.' He points to a smaller girl, a few years younger than himself._

'_I'm Sora,' she said quietly. Tai looked up, and noticed they were standing under mistletoe. He kissed her on the cheek. _

'_What was that for?' Sora asked, her mind screaming that she had just gotten cooties. _

'_Well, all the grown-ups do that when they stand under this thing…I think it's a law or something,' he said with wide eyes and a lopsided grin. Sora nodded, understanding. He grabbed her hand and introduced her to the group of kids._

……………………………………………………………

Tai grinned, lopsided of course, at the memory. Sora smiled devilishly and leaned in very close to him. She could smell his cologne, and it was driving her crazy. He shut his eyes, smelling her hair. It smelt amazing. He felt such a strong attraction to this girl, and he had only known her for all of five minutes. Sora reached behind him, pressing her body against his, and grabbed an apple from a fruit dish sitting in the middle of the island. She backed away, and took a bite. Then she winked and hurried up to her room, grabbing her duffle bag on the way.

_Boy Tai,_ he thought to himself as he watched her go,_ are you ever in trouble this time._

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**Okay, that was chapter one…so tell me what you think please!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! xoxo**


	2. Sightseeing and a Kiss

**Disclaimer:I don't own** **digimon, or the characters, or really anything at all…so whatever!**

**Chapter Two: Sightseeing and a Kiss  
**……………………………………………………………

The first door on the left was Sora's old bedroom. She poked her head in, and saw that, much to her surprise, it was exactly the same as it had been when she left it. She guessed the only time her mother ever came in was to clean it. She sat her bag down on her carpet and kept walking, to examine the rest of the top floor. On the right side of the hall, a few feet away, were the linen closet and then the bathroom. It was big, with both a shower and bathtub. It also contained the medicine cabinet, toilet and sink. She walked by it and looked in; satisfied that it hadn't changed very much, either, she continued down the hall. Next, on the left-hand side, was another bedroom. It used to be her parents, but now it just belonged to her mom. At the opposite end of the hall was another room, the bedroom that used to be a spare, but Sora guessed that Tai was currently occupying it. She turned around and retreated into her room, to unpack her things.

Close to an hour later, after most of her stuff was set up in her temporary bedroom and she lay on her bed, Sora heard a light knocking on her door. "Come in!" she yelled from across the room.

Her door opened and Tai stepped into the room. "Hey, uh, your mom wanted me to tell you that she's sorry, but they had a crisis at work and she had to go in," he said.

She nodded. "That's okay; I didn't really feel like spending some 'quality time' with her anyway. Does she work a lot?" Sora asked. Tai shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, well, not normally. But she's trying to set up a chain of flower shops, instead of just having the one, so lately she's been gone on business trips for a few weeks every month or so," said Tai. He shifted from foot to foot. "It looks like it's just going to be the two of us most of the time." Sora smiled inwardly, thinking the idea of spending the summer all alone with Tai was a pretty good one.

"So Tai," she said, patting the spot beside her on the bed, "come tell me about yourself."

Tai gingerly crossed the room and sat on the foot of her bed, looking into her crimson eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Oh, I don't know...How many siblings do you have? Is there a girlfriend in the picture? Do you enjoy living with my mother?" she asked, mostly curious about the second question. She needed to make sure he was fair game before she sunk her hooks in.

"I've got a sister, Kari, but no, I don't have a girlfriend," answered Tai. _Yet_, he thought, looking her up and down. "And yeah, you're mom's pretty cool, believe it or not." She gave a small laugh of mild disbelief and shifted positions, bringing her feet up underneath her. "Well, what about you? Boyfriend?"

"No, it's too much trouble right now," she explained.

"Oh, because you have to spend the month here?" he asked.

She laughed and shook her head. "Daddy doesn't like it when I date, so I have to hide it from him," she revealed. "So are you on any sport teams or anything?"

"Yeah, I'm captain of the soccer team. We won the tournament last month," he said proudly.

She sat up a little straighter. "You go to Odaiba High, right?"

"That's right," he confirmed.

"I'm going to say a name and you have to tell me all about them, okay?" Tai nodded slowly. Sora beamed and said, "Mimi Tachikawa."

"Queen of the school," he said breezily. "Why? You know her?"

"Of course I know her! She's my best friend!" she said excitedly. Well, she wasn't sure if they were still best friends, but she hoped they were. She didn't have any _best _friends in her town. She had many good friends, but she never let anyone assume the position of best friend, a spot that was reserved solely for Mimi. It had been her spot since they were four years old.

"The head cheerleader is your best friend?" he asked, seeming surprised.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a cheerleader," she defended. "I was one for a bit at my school, but I quit."

"Really? You wouldn't happen to have the uniform with you, would you?" he asked, trying to contain his grin. Sora laughed but shook her head. "Did you date someone on the football team, like every other cheerleader on the planet?"

"No, but the captain did ask me out a few months ago," she said truthfully. Tai's heart sank.

"But didn't you say you didn't have a boyfriend?"

"I said that, yes, and I don't," she insisted. "Just because he asked me doesn't mean I had to say yes, you know. Besides, he wasn't a nice guy. All he wanted was sex."

"Teenage guy...that sounds about right," Tai laughed. "What did you say?"

Sora grinned. "I told him I didn't date outside my species." Tai smiled appreciatively at the girl before him.

"Ouch, nice one. Man, if any guy comes near my sister, I think I'll have to kill him," he sighed.

"Not all guys are pigs. Some are just _nice_ guys," Sora said earnestly.

"Nope, that's completely untrue. All guys, no matter what you think, Sor, only want one thing." She liked that nickname, all her friends called her by it, but it sounded especially nice coming from him.

"Well, you're a guy," she pointed out.

"And, true to form, I only want one thing!" he joked. But I'm not going after my baby sister," he justified.

"Every girl is _somebody's _sister, Tai," Sora lectured, though she wasn't taking anything he said too seriously.

"Again, you are wrong. You see, there are girls without siblings—such as yourself," he winked. "And I have no problem hooking up with _those _girls, so watch out, or I might turn on the charm and make myself irresistible to you."

"I think you're in for one hell of a surprise if you think I'm that easy," she teased.

"Yeah, you say that now, but you wait and see. By the end of your stay, you'll be _begging _for a shot with me," he shot back. She laughed and shifted positions again, stretching out her feet so they sat in his lap.

Three hours later, after finally exhausting all conversation topics they could think of, Sora's mom came home from work.

"Come on guys, I brought home a pizza for us!" she called. They got off the bed and went downstairs.

"Sora, do you have any plans for your first night back?" her mom asked. Sora thought about it, and answered, "Well, I was thinking about doing a little sightseeing, but I'm not sure anymore. I was going to call Mimi but she probably has plans, so I'd have nobody to show me around."

"I'll take you," Tai volunteered.

"You don't have to do that...I mean, if you want to do something else tonight, I won't mind," she said.

"No. It'll be fun," he said enthusiastically.

"Okay then, thanks."

……………………………………………………………

"Where do you want to go? Do you have somewhere specific in mind?" Tai asked that night, after dinner, as they did the dishes. Tai said that since Mrs. Takenouchi does the cooking, he does the dishes to do his part, and Sora offered to help.

"I don't know, actually. I haven't been here in so long...I don't remember what Odaiba has to offer us," she admitted. "Are there any clubs around here?"

"Yeah, there are a lot of them. Is that what you want to do?"

"Only if you want to," Sora said quickly. "Or you can pick what we do, I don't really care. As long as we get out for a bit, I'm happy."

"A club sounds fun. A friend of mine is a bouncer at one, so he can get us in," he explained.

"Awesome. I'm going to go get dressed," she announced when they finished.

Tai nodded and followed her up the stairs to his own room, where he changed his own clothes.

……………………………………………………………

At ten, Sora and Tai met in the living room. She was wearing a short, plaid skirt and a white-and-red tube top. The top covered most of her stomach, stopped only an inch above her bellybutton. Tai thought she looked totally hot, and was jealous that he had to share her with the whole club. He was in the usual—baggy jeans and a shirt, although the shirt was much nicer than usual, and Sora felt sure that they'd turn a few heads when they entered the club together.

"Oh my, don't you two look nice," Mrs. Takenouchi complimented them when she looked up from the TV. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"We're just going to look around and see what happens," Sora lied. She didn't want to tell her mother they were going clubbing, since they weren't exactly of the appropriate age yet.

"Have fun. You can take my car if you'd like," her mom answered.

"Thanks, Mrs T.," Tai smiled and grabbed the car keys from the counter.

"Don't wait up, Mom," Sora advised as they scrambled out the door.

"Ready?" Tai asked as they got in the car. Sora smiled widely and nodded excitedly.

"So this is it?" Sora asked as they walked up to the small line of people. They parked the car in a parking lot down the street and had to walk the rest of the way, as there were no other places to park that were closer to the club. "How are we going to get in? Unless you have some fake IDs, I don't see how we'll get past the bouncer."

"Relax," Tai coaxed. "I told you, I know the guy. He'll let us in, he owes me one. I just hope he's the one working tonight," he mumbled as they approached the front. "Yep, that's him."

"Hey, Tai, nice arm candy," the bouncer, a tall, muscular guy said in a husky voice.

"Thanks. So, are you going to let us in, or what?"

"No can go," he said gruffly, shaking his head.

"Come on, buddy, you owe me one!" Tai said.

"Yeah, I know, but this is my _job_," the guy insisted. "No can do, sorry."

Sora felt Tai nudge her with his elbow. She turned her head in his direction and he raised his eyebrows, and then nodded toward the bouncer. She looked uneasily at the beast of a man standing between them and a night of fun.

"Please, can't you just make an exception, this one time?" Sora pleaded, batting her eyelashes and twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "We promise we won't get into any trouble...I'd really appreciate it," she added as an afterthought. The man grunted, looked around to see if anyone was watching, and stepped out of the way. Grabbing Tai's hand, Sora pulled him across the threshold and into the club. Already, the loud music was blaring into her head, and Sora knew her ears would be ringing when she got home. "That was awesome!" she squealed.

"See, I told you we'd get in," Tai yelled over the music.

"Yeah, only 'cause I was there," Sora laughed and stuck out her tongue at him. He guided her to the bar and they sat down on two stools. The bartender turned toward them, and Tai ordered two drinks, both with alcohol in them. The bartender threw a glance at Sora.

"How old are you?" he questioned. It wasn't necessary to ask for ID at the bar, since the bouncers normally checked for it before allowing someone into the club, but they were allowed to verify.

"Twenty-one," Sora lied. For extra reassurance, she turned to Tai and said, "How flattering! I must look young enough to pass for a teenager!" Tai grinned as the bartender shrugged and handed them their drinks. "C'mon, let's dance," she said and let Tai lead her out onto the dance floor. They danced through eight songs—all fast—before going back to their places at the bar.

"Hey, baby. You want to dance?" Sora looked up to see a man, about mid-twenties, talking to her.

"Um, I'm not really in the mood to dance," she lied. The guy scared her and she didn't feel comfortable leaving Tai's side in a loud, busy place like the one they were in. What if something happened and he was nowhere to be seen?

"Not true; I just saw you out there shaking it," he growled. He seized her arm and roughly pulled her off her stool. "Let's dance." Sora winced at the action and tried to resist.

_Maybe I'm overacting_, Sora thought, _he just wants to dance_..._that's what people do at a club, after all_.

"Let her go," Tai warned, stepping between Sora and the man.

"And who the hell are you, her bodyguard?" the man scoffed. "Move out of the way, kid."

"Not until you let her go. I'm going to count to five, and if by then, you still haven't let her go, I can't be held responsible for my actions," he said darkly. They stared at each other before Tai muttered, "One."

"Tai...calm down," Sora begged. She didn't want to dance with the guy, but she didn't want Tai to get into a fistfight over her, either. "I'll only dance with him for one song and then I'll come right back."

"Yeah, kid, get over it. I'll get her back in one piece."

"Two."

"Tai! Stop it!" Sora yelled over the music. With her free arm she tried to spin him around and look at her but he wouldn't budge. "Tai! Listen to me!"

"Three," he counted.

"Just what do you think you're going to do to me, huh?" the man laughed.

"It looks like your about to find out," Tai firmly stated. "Four."

Tai glared menacingly at him, mentally daring him to stick around until he got to five. Sora felt the stranger's grip finally loosen and he said, "Fine, whatever. I don't dance with cheap sluts, anyway."

The next few moments were a blur to Sora. All she remembered was Tai balling up his fists and punching the man in the face; the man was stumbling back, his nose beginning to bleed, before he lunged forward at Tai, who was looking to continue the fight as Sora grabbed his arm and started to run out of the club, past the bouncer, down the street, with him behind her.

Sora didn't slow down, even though she almost broke her heel twice on the rough sidewalk, and neither of them stopped until they were at the parking lot, where they had left the car. Sora leaned up against it, trying to catch her breath, but Tai wasn't winded at all. She assumed it was because of all the soccer he played.

"Give me the keys," she demanded when she caught her breath. "I'm driving this time, and we're going somewhere that even_ you _can't start a fistfight."

……………………………………………………………

"I could start a fistfight here, Sor, if I really wanted to," Tai stated, earning the pair quite a number of questionable looks from other customers in the small diner.

Sora laughed, in spite of herself. "Just shut up and sit down somewhere." Tai nodded and she followed him to the back corner, into a booth against the window. They sat down on opposite ends, waiting for someone to come and take their orders.

"So, do you hit a lot of people?" Sora inquired, highly amused, as she reflected on the past twenty minutes.

"Surprisingly, no," Tai grinned. "I've never really done it before, but that guy really got under my skin. And I don't know about you, but I wasn't going to sit there and let him call you a—" he looked around and dropped his voice "cheap slut."

Sora smiled. "Well, thank you for 'defending my honour,' but I was fine," she lied. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"Give me your hand," said Tai.

"What?"

"Give me your hand." He held out his hand in the middle of the table. She hesitated before reaching out and letting him take her hand in his. He gently pulled, so her arm was extended across the table. "That," he said, pointing to her arm with his free hand, "contradicts your little spiel about how you can hold your own."

Sora looked down at her arm, having completely forgotten about it until that moment. It was bright red, and there was a faint outline of where the stranger's fingers had been gripping her. She reached out and lightly pressed against it with her other hand, relieved that it didn't feel bruised.

"It looks worse than it is," she said.

"Right," he said doubtfully. "Well, if anyone else gives you a hard time while you're here, you let me know, and I'll kick their ass for you."

Sora rolled her eyes. "You know, you could have broken that guy's nose," she said seriously.

"Good," he shrugged. "I hope I did." Sora didn't miss the proud smile that crept onto his face after saying that, nor did she miss it when he shot another concerned glance at her arm. "Are you sure that doesn't hurt?"

"Nope," she said truthfully. "The redness is starting to go away. I don't think it's bruised, or anything like that."

"You better hope your mom doesn't see it when we go back to the house. She might think I did it to you," he said with a grin.

"You're just lucky you didn't get a black eye or something," she countered. "If you did, I'd probably have to go stay somewhere else."

"Why would _you _have to?"

"Because," she said, "my mother once said that I have a knack for getting into sticky situations, and that the only reason I'm still here is because there's always someone there to bail me out when I get into trouble. That's what she'd think you did tonight...bail me out."

"What kind of trouble?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, when I was twelve, Mimi and I stole some lip gloss from a store, and we got caught," she laughed. "Our dads had to come down and they managed to talk the store owner into not pressing charges on us."

"Nice one."

"And then there was the time when I was fourteen...I was grounded, but I snuck out to meet a boy. When I got home my parents were waiting for me, asking where I went, and I lied and said I was at Mimi's. Luckily, I had told Meems my plans for that night and when my parents called her to confirm, she covered for me and said I was at her house the whole time," Sora recalled. "Of course, Mom found out later that we were lying and I had to tell her the truth, but she didn't tell my dad because she knew he would find out the boy's name and hunt him down."

Tai laughed appreciatively. "Is that all?"

Sora shook her head. "Not even close, but it's all you're getting out of me tonight."

"Come on, even after I saved you from that creep?"

"Yep," she stated. There was a brief lapse in conversation as a short, plump, middle-aged woman with frizzy blonde hair came over and asked what they wanted. They decided that they weren't exactly hungry and order two milkshakes, one chocolate, and one strawberry. "It feels so good to be out tonight...now that I know I can get into clubs, maybe I'll go more often."

"Who knows? Maybe next time you'll get into more trouble, and I won't be there to 'bail you out,'" Tai teased. The woman returned to the table with their milkshakes and left again.

"Oh, I think I'll manage," Sora said confidently. "I just have one small request."

"What's that?"

"The next time we go out, if you're planning on starting any more fights...or robbing a bank or killing someone...I would appreciate it if you could tell me so I could wear the proper footing."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Okay..."

"Well, not that I didn't enjoy the exercise, but all that running totally ruined my heels," she explained. He laughed and drank his milkshake.

……………………………………………………………

Stopping outside the front door when they got home, Sora spoke first. "Thanks for taking me out tonight; I haven't had that much fun in a long time. I'm sure you had better things to do than baby-sit me, though" she said.

He smiled. "I wasn't babysitting you. I'd have to be getting paid for that to be true," he joked.

Sora laughed and gestured up. "My mother's watching us from her bedroom window," she explained.

"You think? Why would she do that?" Tai asked.

"It's in her nature to spy. When I lived here, every time I came home from a date she'd always be glued to that window."

Tai glanced up quickly, without anyone noticing, and sure enough she was there. "So what exactly is she waiting for?" Tai inquired, although he had a good idea already.

"What do you think she's waiting for?" Sora said lightly. "You know, maybe we should give her what she wants and mess with her mind a little bit. What do you say?" Sora suggested, her crimson eyes glowing.

Tai couldn't believe it. This afternoon, they had become pretty good friends, but he still felt a strong attraction to her. Now, he was getting the chance to kiss her! "Oh, you're evil," he said, grinning.

She smiled and moved closer to him. They both leaned in and touched their lips together. Sora's lips felt warm and smooth against his. Tai desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, but he didn't want to scare her off. He actually cared about this girl. When they parted, Sora offered him a brief smile before turning around and opening the door. Walking in, they went up the stairs and went into their separate bedrooms, both very pleased with themselves.

……………………………………………………………

**Review! Hope you liked it : )**


	3. Interruptions

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

**Chapter Three: Interruptions  
**…………………………………………………………………

**BEEP BEEP BEEP**

The sound of Sora's alarm clock blared throughout her bedroom, waking her up.

"Ugh," she groaned. She reached over, but couldn't feel the clock on her nightstand. She remembered that it was across the room, so instead of getting up and turning it off, she rolled over and put a pillow over her head.

_What a stupid invention…I can't believe I paid money for something that blares into my eardrum every morning! _She heard a faint knocking on her door, and then footsteps.

The ringing stopped.

"Thank God," she mumbled as a pillow came soaring at her body. She rolled back over, and came face to face with Tai.

"There's this new thing that people are trying…it's called shutting off the annoying, beeping box when it's only eleven in the morning during summer vacation," he said, only half awake.

Sora sat up, and surveyed Tai. He was wearing flannel pajama pants, and no shirt. His tanned chest was slim and muscular. His brown, messy hair was—if possible—even messier after a night's slumber. He looked like he needed about three more hours of sleep before he could even begin to wake up. Sora laughed at the sight in front of her. She picked up the pillow and chucked it back at him, hitting him square in the face. She yawned and kicked off her covers, ready to get up and start her day.

Tai glanced at Sora, and stood there, dumbfounded. She was wearing a skimpy little top, and even skimpier shorts. She had a great figure, especially in that outfit. Tai snapped out of his trance, and whipped her with the pillow. Faking outrage, Sora grabbed the pillow and tossed it back. Tai came closer to the bed, which she was still on, and pelted her with the pillow. Sora grabbed one of the pillows she had used for sleeping and hit him hard, catching him off-guard and causing him to fall over onto the bed. Before long, they were engaged in an all-out pillow fight.

After a while, they were both out of breath. Tai dropped his 'weapon' and lightly pushed Sora, who flopped backwards onto the bed, but pulled him along with her. Panting, they lay there, Tai on top of Sora, staring into each other's eyes, until they both started to lean in closer.

**RING RING RING**

The phone began to ring, and interrupted the moment. Sora, who finally noticed their position, blushed slightly. Tai must have noticed too, because he quickly got off her and ran to answer the phone.

"Sora!" Tai called from downstairs, "the phone is for you!" She got off her bed, and ran downstairs to get the phone.

"Hello?" she said when she got there.

"Sor! Oh my God I missed you _so_ much, why didn't you call me yesterday when you got in?" a voice that could only belong to Mimi, screeched from the other end.

"Meems? I missed you, too! I'm so sorry but I was really busy yesterday. What about today, though? Do you want to come over or something?"

"Definitely." They chatted for a little bit, and then Sora hung up to get ready.

She ran upstairs, and got her towels out. She went into the bathroom and undressed. She was about to get in the shower when she realized there was no shampoo. Sighing, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked down the hall to Tai's room. She knocked and was told to come in.

She opened the door slightly, peeking her head in. "Uh, Tai…where does my mom keep the shampoo around here?" He stood up to show her where, but she held out her hand and stopped him. "Maybe you should just tell me, I'm kind of wearing a towel and with my luck, it'll fall off," she blushed.

"And this is supposed to stop me?" he grinned. Nevertheless, he backed off and told her where to find it. "It should be in the cupboard under the sink." She thanked him, and went off to shower.

She got out, and did her hair. Then she got dressed, and waited for Mimi to arrive. Finally, at two in the afternoon, she came. They went up to Sora's room, and caught up.

"Daddy told me I have to stay here while he goes to America, and if he likes it, we're moving there" Sora explained.

"Wait—you might have to move to America?" Mimi shrieked.

'Yeah, maybe. I hope not, but you never know...Anyway, let's not talk about that. It's depressing. How've you been?"

"Really good. I missed you, though. It's just not the same without you here to hang out with," Mimi said. "I wish you didn't have to leave so soon...a month isn't nearly long enough."

"Yeah, I know. Maybe my dad won't take the job, and we'll stay in Japan. At least then I won't be across the world," suggested Sora. Mimi nodded glumly. "Come on, there's got to be more to tell. Are you seeing anybody?"

"Well," Mimi smiled, "there is this one guy I kind of like." Sora looked at her expectantly, but she didn't continue.

"Come on; don't make me beat it out of you! Tell me about him. Where did you meet? Does he like you back?"

"His name is Matt; he's got blonde hair and these _amazing _blue eyes. It turns out he goes to Odaiba High, in the same grade as me and everything. I've never seen him before, because I know I would've remembered him if I had," she gushed. "We met at McDonalds last week."

"Excuse me? Hold on...back it up. _You _were at a McDonalds?" Sora stared at her in disbelief.

"I was really craving one of their milkshakes! It's so random, but it's totally like fate stepped in or something," she beamed. "I'm not too sure if he likes me back, though. I mean _of course _he likes me, but I don't really know if he wants to date me."

Sora nodded understandingly and stretched out on her spot on the bed. Mimi was on the other end, sitting cross-legged, examining her nails.

"What about Tai? He's really cute. Do you like him?" Mimi inquired. Sora shook her head.

"No, not really. Yeah, he's cute, and he's funny and sweet but I don't think I'm really interested. He's my friend." Mimi nodded and smiled slyly.

Somehow, after getting incredibly sidetracked during their conversation, they decided they would wax Mimi's legs. Sora hurried downstairs and used the microwave to heat up the wax as Mimi got out the strips. Sora returned to her room and spread the wax over a spot on Mimi's right leg.

"OUCH!" was all that Tai heard from downstairs. Curious, and slightly worried, he went up to Sora's room and opened the door. There was Mimi, rubbing her leg and Sora put more wax on. "That really hurt, Sor! You've got to do it in one quick motion," she explained.

"It's kind of hard to do that when you keep squirming," Sora insisted. "If you would just keep still, this would be a lot easier."

"What the hell are you two doing?" Tai asked, not putting two and two together.

"Waxing her legs, what do you think we're doing?" Sora replied, trying to stifle her laughter after hearing Mimi's screams. _Women are crazy_, thought Tai. Just then, Mimi whispered something into Sora's ear, causing her to grin evilly and look at Tai.

"Oh, Tai," Sora began. "How would you like to do us a big favour?"

"Uh, sure," Tai shrugged. Sora motioned for him to come closer, so he walked into her room.

"Now!" Mimi screamed as she tackled Tai to the ground, and Sora sat on his chest and grinned down at him.

"Whoa, ladies, not that I mind this at all, but can I ask what you're doing?" he said uneasily, as Mimi picked up the wax.

"It's simple, really," Mimi said.

"We're very, very bored, as you can probably see," Sora added.

"And because of that fact, we've decided we're going to wax your face and see what happens," Mimi finished.

Tai protested, "See what happens? Oh no, you're not! I'm not some kind of guinea pig for you two to play with!"

"Please Tai…you don't really have a choice in the matter. Besides, you won't have to shave for a while," Sora argued.

"_Pretty please?_" Mimi added sweetly.

"What's in it for me?" Tai asked, starting to give in.

"You can wax Sora's legs!" Mimi offered, laughing.

"Meems! No way," Sora yelled.

"Everyone's gotten a taste but you," Mimi said, still in her sweet voice. "It's only fair." Sora mumbled something but nodded.

Still sitting on his chest, Sora held him still as Mimi applied the wax. "Now Tai, don't flinch, or this will hurt _even_ _more_" Mimi said, emphasizing the words even more. Tai was starting to have second thoughts about this, but there was nothing he could do, because Sora had just put the strip on his cheek. With one shift motion, she ripped it off.

"YEEEEEOOWWWWWWWWWWW!"

………………………………………………………………

Sitting in the living room that evening, Tai was rubbing his tender cheek as Sora flicked through the channels on their TV. "Is it supposed to hurt this much?" Tai asked, slightly concerned.

"Only if you keep rubbing it like that," Sora lectured him

"I can't help it," he moaned. "It really burns."

Sora laughed and went back to the TV. She had to admit, Tai had been a pretty good sport about the whole thing. Looking back on it, she and Mimi probably shouldn't have used the wax until he had let the hair on his face grow out a bit, but it was already done so there was nothing she could do about it.

"Hey, I just thought of something…I never did get to return the favour," Tai said as he leapt off the couch and ran upstairs, into Sora's bedroom, to get the wax.

_Oh shit,_ Sora thought as Tai returned, grinning widely. She sat on the ground, and he sat beside her, so they were shoulder to shoulder. He applied the wax and the strip, and got ready to pull the wrong way. Sora yelled at him to do it the right way, and he apologized. Then, with one not-so-swift motion, he pulled the strip off.

"Ouch!" Sora yelped as Tai ripped it off.

"Oh, you're such a baby. Do you need me to kiss it better?" Tai said in a teasing tone.

Sora glared at him and said, "Yeah, I think you should." She obviously didn't expect him to, so she was incredibly surprised when Tai leaned forward and gave her leg a quick kiss. They made eye contact, and stared at each other for several seconds. Sora bit her lip and stared into his eyes.

"You know, my face still hurts," Tai whispered. She nodded. They both leaned in and closed their eyes, their lips about to touch when—

"I'm home!" Sora's mom said as she opened the front door. She seemed oblivious to the fact that Tai and Sora had almost kissed. The two teenagers moved away from each other quickly, blushing furiously. Sora gathered up the unused waxing strips and the wax, hurrying upstairs to put everything away.

She came back down a minute later and got an apple from the fruit dish. Tai was sitting at the kitchen table, watching her, looking rather uncomfortable. The only sound that could be heard was that of Sora's mother putting some groceries away.

"I'm really sorry you guys, but it looks like I'll be going away for a week or so on business. We're busy setting up a flower shop in another city, and I need to go make sure everything's in order. Sora, this is going to be a really busy month for me, business-wise. I don't think I'll be home too much while you're here," her mother apologized.

"That's ok mom, don't worry about it. I understand," Sora said.

"Plus, it's not like you'll be totally alone. Tai can keep you company, right Tai?"

………………………………………………………………

**I don't really know if it's something you can do yourself, but I really don't recommend waxing your own face, haha.**

**Review!**


	4. Tanning and Shopping

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Chapter Four: Tanning and Shopping  
**………………………………………………………………

Sora awoke to the loud beeping of her alarm clock. She slid her hand out from under her covers and hastily shut it off. She had remembered to move it closer before she went to bed the previous night.

She got out of bed and looked at her alarm clock: nine-thirty in the morning. Ever since Sora was little, she had been an early-riser. The only reason she slept in yesterday was because she was drained from the bus ride and the club with Tai. Walking downstairs, Sora saw her mother about to walk out the door.

"Oh, good morning, sweetie," she said. "I was going to wake you but you looked so peaceful that I just couldn't disturb you. I have to go, but there's a number on the counter where you can reach me. I should be home in about a week. If you need anything, just ask Tai. I'm sorry about this. I love you, bye." She gave Sora a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.

Standing alone in her living room, Sora looked around, trying to decide what she wanted to do. She could watch some TV, but she didn't feel like it. She could have a nice breakfast, but that didn't really appeal to her, either. She hung around downstairs, hoping that Tai would wake up and rescue her from her boredom. When a half hour passed and there was no sign of Tai getting up anytime soon, Sora looked outside.

The sun had long since risen and it looked very warm. The backyard was calling to her. She rushed upstairs and changed into her bathing suit, a pink-and-white polka-dot bikini that she had purchased two days before she came back to Odaiba. She walked back downstairs and slid open the sliding glass doors, entering the backyard. Shutting the door behind her, Sora stretched and looked around. The pool was about the same as she remembered it to be. The water was calm and a lovely shade of bluish-white. It looked like the perfect refresher, but that was to be saved for another day. Sora had come outside to tan.

She could feel the heat radiating off the wooden boards of the deck, and walked hurriedly across them, over to a chair. Pulling the chair to the middle of the deck and adjusting it so she was lying almost perfectly horizontal, Sora basked in the glow and warmth of the sun.

About an hour later, she heard footsteps approach her.

"Mind if I join you?" she heard Tai ask.

"Not at all, pull up a chair," she inviting, squinting against the sunlight to look at him. He was wearing baggy shorts that looked like swimming trunks. He grabbed the other chair on the deck and positioned it beside her.

"What do you want to do today?" Tai asked her.

Sora sighed, not ever wanting to think of anything that involved getting up or moving again, and turned over. "Absolutely _nothing_."

Tai laughed. He had to admit, when Mrs. T first told him that Sora was coming, he wasn't too thrilled. He thought she would be rude and snobby, or worse, shy and quiet. But he was wrong. Sora was the perfect amount of beauty and brains, sincerity and sarcasm. She was the perfect person to be around in general. He was having a great time with her. She was fun, and she wasn't too hard on the eyes, either. Especially in the skimpy bikini she was wearing. Maybe she would grow accustomed to life in Odaiba and choose to stay after the month was up. He could very easily imagine living with Sora and her mother for another year, as one big, happy family.

Of course, that wouldn't do. He couldn't let Sora start thinking of him as the brother-type. He didn't think of her as his sister – not even close. He wasn't saying he wanted to marry the girl, or even have a serious relationship with her, but a summer fling sure would be nice. Maybe it was good, in a way, that she was leaving when the month was over.

Tai liked having deadlines. It gave him something to work toward; something to motivate him, and this was no exception. He made it a goal of his, to get Sora to want him like he wanted her, by the end of the summer. Who knows? Maybe they'd even do something about their feelings. He sure wouldn't mind another shot at kissing her.

"Oh crap!" Sora groaned, interrupting Tai's thoughts.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm going to have a stupid tan line," she said. "Tai, be a dear and untie my string, please?"

Untie the string? _Did she just ask me to undo her top? _He reached over and untied the sting that went around her back, and the other one that went around her neck. The small strips of material fell to her sides, but the top still managed to cover everything that needed to be covered.

"Thanks," she said sweetly. Yawning, Tai shifted positions, trying to get comfortable in the chair. He rolled over onto his stomach, and shut his eyes, feeling the warm sun on his like a blanket. Unlike Sora, he was _not _an early-riser. He could still go for another few hours of sleep.

"If I fall asleep," she mumbled, "wake me up at noon."

"Yeah, okay," Tai agreed. "And if I fall asleep, wake me up at one."

She acknowledged his request with a yawn.

………………………………………………………………

Sora awoke over an hour later to find an empty chair beside her. She stretched and blinked blindly into the sunlight. Bending her arm into an awkward and slightly painful position, she did up her bathing suit top and got up from the chair, trying to walk off the stiffness in her thighs. She went back into the house, and the smell of eggs and bacon hit her immediately. Tai was standing by the stove in the kitchen, making food.

"Hey, I was just about to come wake you. I made lunch" he said. Sora smiled, and offered to set the table.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" Sora asked when he put the food on plates and they sat down to eat.

"I'd hardly call what I do 'cooking'. I mostly turn on the stove and cross my fingers that I don't burn the house down," he grinned. Sora laughed.

"Comforting," she said sardonically.

"Don't worry, I only do lunch…and even that's pretty rare."

"Well, don't I feel special?"

"Oh, you definitely should."

A few minutes passed in a comfortable silence. Sora looked up from her plate and found Tai staring at her. She smiled and he looked away.

"So … what are you making for dinner?"

Sora looked at him like he had three heads. "What makes you think _I'm_ making dinner? I can't cook!"

"It's only fair. I made lunch, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Sora said slyly, "if you can call this lunch. Seems more like breakfast to me." Tai laughed and shook his head. "Okay, fine. I'll cook dinner if you'll go grocery shopping with me," she offered.

"Your mom just bought groceries yesterday," he noted.

"Yeah, I know, but I'll need a few extra things if I'm really going to impress you with my culinary skills."

………………………………………………………………

Sora and Tai walked into the supermarket. As they strolled through the fruits and vegetables, Tai stopped beside the grapes. Sora watched as he reached into the bag and ate one.

"What are you doing?"

"Eating," he said simply. "Have one."

"You aren't supposed to eat those!" she scolded.

He threw a grape at her; it bounced off her forehead and rolled away. She looked around. Nobody had noticed Tai's antics. "What's the matter? Are you afraid?" he asked smugly.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Sora grabbed a grape from the bag and threw it back. Tai grabbed a few more, and chucked them in her direction. She laughed and ducked behind one of the displays. He grabbed a handful and was about to launch into a full-on attack when a woman slightly older than Sora's mother walked by.

"Hello, Tai. Out shopping with your girlfriend, I see," she said.

Tai grinned. Sora blushed slightly and looked away. "Oh, no, this is Sora. She's Toshiko's daughter," Tai said. "Mrs. Sato lives down the street," he told Sora.

"Nice to meet you," Sora said politely, shaking her hand. She didn't remember this woman from when she lived in Odaiba.

"Sora … well, the last time I saw you, you were this tall," Mrs. Sato exclaimed, holding her hand out about five feet from the ground. "Are you back for good?" Mrs. Sato asked her.

Sora shook her head. "No, I'm only here until the end of July. Then I might be moving to America with my dad," she said.

Tai frowned. America? That was very far away. If she went back to her old town, he could maybe keep in touch with her and they'd continue to be friends. But America was like a whole other planet. It was all the way across an ocean! He pushed the thought out of his mind, but not before he promised himself that he would try his hardest to get her to stay.

………………………………………………………………


	5. Heat Wave

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Chapter Five: Heat Wave  
**………………………………………………………………

Sora's alarm blared inches from her head. She reached out quickly and shut it off. She groaned, now fully awake, realizing how hot it was. It was practically a million degrees in her house. She wiped some sweat off her forehead and threw the covers off herself and opened her window as much as she could.

Walking downstairs was torture. She went to the sink, got an ice-cold glass of water, and drank it in about half a second. Really, she wanted to pour the whole damned thing on her head.

"The air conditioning broke," she heard Tai say. She turned around and sighed. "Can you believe it? It's the middle of the summer, not to mention a heat wave, and we have no air conditioning!" Sora felt like sobbing. There was no breeze outside, so having the windows open did nothing to cool the temperature inside. "I called the repair guy, but he can't make it until tomorrow."

Sora nodded. It was too hot to do anything else. She filled her glass and drained it again before going upstairs to take a nice, cold shower.

When she went back in her room to get dressed, she didn't know what to wear. Knowing that July weather in Odaiba was rather warm, she had mostly packed tank tops, shorts and skirts, but even those articles of clothing seemed too hot. The only thing she could think of wearing was her pink and white polka dot bikini, but she wasn't sure if she should. She didn't want to parade around, practically naked, in front of Tai.

Okay, so a not-so-small part of her _did_.

She came downstairs, clad in her bikini, to find Tai walking around in baggy shorts and no shirt. She would have flirted with him or checked him out, but she was too hot (and not in the good way) to think straight. She groaned and put her hair into a messy bun, so it was off her neck.

Tai watched her as she did this. She looked so good in her bikini. He just wanted to kiss her and touch her, but he knew that she would probably freak out and slap him, and then he'd have no chance at all.

Sora looked out into her backyard and her eyes were immediately drawn to the pool. Deciding that it was where she wanted to be, she opened the sliding door and nearly gasped when the air from outside hit her. "Holy God…it's hotter inside than outside, if that makes sense!" she yelled to Tai before she shut the door and sauntered across the grass. She got in the pool, floating around on a purple raft. She dipped her hand in the water, lazily swirling her fingers around. It was so peaceful that she could have fallen asleep. Maybe she did, because the next thing she knew, Tai was standing over her holding two milkshakes

_How sweet_, she thought to herself. She managed to get to the edge of the pool, smiling appreciatively at him when he handed her a glass.

"You're such a doll," she said as she took a sip. Tai blushed and sat down, dipping his legs into the water.

"If you're so hot, why don't you just get _in_ the water?" he asked her.

"Because," she explained, "I don't want to get my hair wet."

Tai grinned evilly. "Like this?" he asked as he tipped over her raft, dumping her into the water. She went clean under, and when she came up, she didn't look too pleased.

"Tai Kamiya, you get me out of here right now," she demanded. He held out a hand to help her out of the water, but she grabbed it and pulled him in with her.

"What was that for?" he asked when he surfaced.

"This," she said, pointing at her hair.

"Aww, did wittle Sora get her pwetty hair all wet?" he teased. She opened her mouth to say something, but Tai splashed water in her face. She huffed and splashed him right back. And then it started: they were at war. Tai dunked Sora under the water, and she kicked and trashed trying to get free. When she came up, she dunked him under. Tai decided to screw her around, so after a while of being underwater, he stopped struggling.

Sora pulled him to the surface, worried. Then, realizing what he was doing, she decided to screw with him, too. She leaned him up against the edge of the pool and pressed her body into his.

"Tai, I want you right now," she whispered into his ear, trying not to laugh. His eyes shot open, wide with shock. She broke down laughing and splashed water in his face. She swam over to the ladder and started to get out. Tai grabbed her foot and pulled her back in. Then he got out, using the ladder. She ran after him and grabbed onto his arm. She started play-hitting him, trying to beat him into the house. He let go and she ran past him. Before he could catch her, she ran into the house, locking the door behind her, sticking her tongue out in victory. She was immediately hit with the heat of the house.

She watched as Tai walked over to the pool and picked up the two milkshakes. He leisurely strolled back to the door, taunting Sora with them. _Maybe I didn't think this through enough_ …

Tai smiled smugly as he drank from his glass, then from hers. Giving in, she unlocked the door and grabbed her milkshake from his hands. She took a long drink as he walked inside, both of them dripping wet.

………………………………………………………………

That night, they had decided to order Chinese food for dinner. Sora called for delivery, while Tai watched TV. Both Tai and Sora were exhausted, probably because it was so hot in the house. But now it was the evening, and it was definitely cooling off – thank God. As they were watching TV, waiting for the food to come, it became to rain. It was _pouring_. Sora, who had always loved the rain, ran outside forgetting shoes or a coat. Tai ran after her, screaming that she'd catch pneumonia. He stopped just outside the doorway when he got a look at her.

She was twirling in the rain. She looked more beautiful than Tai had seen her look before. He just watched her, mesmerized, for quite some time. Long enough for the both of them to get drenched from head to toe.

Finally, Tai managed to get her back inside. "Sorry, but I don't really get to go out in the rain that much at my dad's place," she explained. "We live in a big building, on the top floor. We have this kind of penthouse thing going on, except we've got the top two floors. And when it rains, I can't exactly walk out the door and be outside. I have to take an elevator, or about eight flights of stairs, so I don't even bother."

"You live in a penthouse?" Tai exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah, I guess. But the truth is, I'd choose this old house over that place any day. Sure, the penthouse is nice and all, but this place is my home. I mean, I took my first step right there," she said pointing to a spot on the floor. Tai didn't know she had a sentimental side to her. It made him like her even more.

They sat there, talking about when they were younger, until their food arrived. They scooped it all out onto plates, and sat down to eat. Just then, the power went out because of the storm. Sora went to find some candles and Tai got the matches. They lit a bunch of candles throughout the kitchen and living room.

"Bet when you woke up this morning, you didn't think we'd be having a candlelit dinner, did you, Sor?" Tai said.

Sora laughed and shook her head. They had a nice meal together, under the glow of the candles. By the time they finished, it was getting late. They cleaned up, and talked some more, since they couldn't watch TV. The power came back shortly after they had finished dinner, so they turned on the TV. It was around midnight when they began dozing off, Sora on top of Tai on the couch.

………………………………………………………………


	6. New Sleeping Arrangements

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

**Chapter Six: New Sleeping Arrangements  
**………………………………………………………………

Sora was the first of the two to awake the next morning. Their position wasn't too bad. Tai was sprawled out on the couch and she was lying with her head on his chest. Not too bad, but she sure was glad her mother wasn't home to see it. She got up slowly, trying not to wake Tai. Once she was standing, she felt very restless. She didn't feel like going for a swim, and it was too early to call Mimi and chat. She decided to go for a run.

………………………………………………………………

Tai awoke, alone, on the couch. At first, he wasn't sure where he was. Looking around, he finally realized he was on the couch, and that he must have fallen asleep there last night. "Sora?" he called. No answer. He went upstairs, looking for her. She wasn't in her room, or the bathroom. He came back downstairs and saw a note on the counter.

_Tai,_

_Went for a run, be back in a little while. If the repairman calls, have him come right away_… _I can't take this heat anymore!_

— _Sora_

He put down the note and got a drink. He then went upstairs to shower – with cold water, of course. By the time he got out, Sora was home.

"Hey, how was your run?"

"Good. The repair guy called, he should be here soon," Sora said.

"Thank God," he said. Sora nodded, and went to get in the shower.

………………………………………………………………

When she came down, nearly an hour later, the repairman was there. Sora sat down on the couch beside Tai, who was watching some old movie on TV, and sighed. She couldn't wait for the man to finish. She had never been in hotter conditions in her entire life. She wondered aloud if it was like this at the equator, and Tai told her that it was probably way hotter. Sora wondered how anyone could possibly survive there.

Once the air conditioner was fixed, Sora turned it on and jacked it up insanely high. She and Tai were in heaven. They sat on the couch the whole day, talking, watching TV, eating and enjoying the cold air running throughout the house.

Sometime after five, Tai suggested they go out for ice cream. "Come on, I'll drive," he said, grabbing the car keys. They drove to the ice cream parlour, where Sora ordered bubblegum and Tai ordered tiger. They found a table near the window, sat down, and started licking their cones.

"Is that good?" they asked each other at the same time. They both laughed and switched cones.

"Mmmm, this is better than mine," Sora said.

"Tell me about it," Tai agreed. They ate each other's ice cream.

"Want to rent a movie and then we can just get some takeout?" Sora asked.

Tai nodded. "Ok, we can both pick out a movie. No chick flicks, please" he said. Sora laughed and stuck her tongue out at him, but Tai noticed that she never agreed to his terms. When they got to the video store, he crossed his fingers that she didn't pick out a suck-fest. She made her movie selection and winked at him, and he knew that she had done what he was afraid of. He decided that if he had to suffer, she should, too. Tai grabbed the scariest movie he could see and wouldn't tell Sora which one he'd grabbed. He knew that she hated scary movies, but he figured that if he waited until they got home for him to tell her which one he'd picked, she'd _have _to watch it.

………………………………………………………………

Once Sora and Tai had finished dinner and watched Sora's movie, which, as Tai put it, "wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be," they put in Tai's movie.

"So, are you going to tell me what movie you got, or what?" Sora asked.

"No, you'll see," Tai said mysteriously.

"Fine," she said, sighing. Tai came back to the couch, and turned the light off. The movie started, and when the title flashed across the screen, Sora groaned.

"Oh, Tai, turn it off! You know I hate scary movies!" she cried, burying her head in his shoulder.

"No. I had to watch your movie, you have to watch mine," he said.

"But I'll have nightmares. The last time I watched a scary movie, I had to sleep in my parents' bed that night," she told him.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to suck it up and be brave. You could always sleep in my bed tonight," he joked.

"I seriously might have to!" she said, looking him in the eye. Tai shrugged. Sora groaned and clung onto him as it began to get scary. _I should rent scary movies more often, _Tai thought.

………………………………………………………………

Tai got up from the couch and turned on the light. Sora yawned, stretched, and stood up. It was just past midnight now, and the movie had finally finished. Sora took the movie and put it in its case. Tai looked at her.

"Ready?" he asked her, knowing she would make him walk her to her room. She nodded and he flicked off the light. She ran to his side quickly, as if a murderer was chasing her. They went up the stairs and she went into her room.

"Goodnight!" she called before she shut the door.

"Goodnight," he yelled back. Then he went into his room. It was late, and he was tired, but he didn't think he'd be getting to sleep anytime soon.

………………………………………………………………

Sora sighed and rolled over in her bed for the umpteenth time. She didn't know what time it was, but it had to be at least one in the morning by now. God, she hated Tai. Why did he make her watch that stupid movie? Every time a branch hit her bedroom window, she would clamp her eyes shut and pull the covers over her head. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She stood up from her bed and walked out of her room, her back pressed firmly against the wall as if someone was going to sneak up behind her. She tiptoed down the hallway and lightly knocked on Tai's door. If he was still awake, she'd go in. If he didn't answer, she would run back to her room and try counting sheep or something.

"Come in," he yelled, and she unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey," she said sheepishly, opening the door.

"Hey," he said, sliding over in his bed. She smiled and shut the door, grateful that he wasn't teasing her about being frightened. She got in his bed and they fell asleep.

………………………………………………………………


	7. Shopping and Insomnia

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.**

**Thanks for being patient with this story everyone. Hope you liked the last chapter, I know I sure did!**

**Now, back to the story…**

**Chapter Seven: Shopping and Insomnia**

……………………………………………………………

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora groaned, and reached out her hand to shut off the alarm clock…but it wasn't there. She opened one eye, and realized she wasn't in her room. She got out of the bed, and walked across the room to where the clock was. The second she got out of bed, she was hit with the freezing cold air. Before going to bed the night before, they hadn't turned down the air conditioner. During the night, it had gotten colder, and colder, and colder. She shut off the alarm, and shivered slightly.

"Cold?" Tai asked, startling her. She spun around to face him.

"Yeah, we left the air on last night," she said.

"Oh. Well don't just stand there freezing your butt off," he said, yawning. She stretched, and walked back to the bed.

……………………………………………………………

Sora woke up close to an hour later. She found herself snuggled right up to Tai, who had his arm around her. She tried to get up quietly, but wound up waking him.

"Why are you constantly getting up early? It's summer vacation!" he lectured her.

"Because, I like getting up early. I like actually_ accomplishing_ something during the day, Tai," she replied.

"Well, there are a lot of things we can accomplish right here," he hinted. She laughed and rolled over, so she was sitting on his chest. She leaned in, inches away from his face.

"Tempting, but I'll have to take a rein check." She got up, and left the room.

Tai just lay there, not sure of what to do. Cracking into a smile, he rolled over, and went back to sleep.

……………………………………………………………

Sora got in the shower, thinking about her and Tai. Sure she was attracted to him, and they had fun together, but did she like him? Or was he just a friend? She couldn't decide. She went back and forth in her mind as she showered. She got out and dried her hair, still thinking about Tai. Nearly an hour later, she still hadn't sorted out her feelings. Deciding to forget about it for now, she called Mimi. She dialed her number, and it rang twice before,

"Hello?" Mimi's voice came on the other end.

"Hey, Meems, it's Sora. You free today? I was thinking maybe we could go shopping or something," she said. She knew that would get her…Mimi, turn down shopping? She had never known it to happen before, and it sure hadn't happened this time.

"Absolutely, I'll pick you up in half an hour!" Mimi squealed before she hung up. Laughing, Sora got dressed and wrote a quick note to Tai, explaining where she was.

Then she heard Mimi honking her car horn in the driveway. She ran out the door, and hopped in the car.

"Hey girl," Mimi greeted her.

"Hey," Sora said, putting on her seatbelt.

"So, where's your mom?"

"Business trip somewhere, who knows?"

"So, does that mean you and Tai are all_ alone_ in that house?" Mimi practically screamed.

"So what if it does?" Sora replied, uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken.

"Oh…nothing, nothing. I'm _sure_ it's stayed G-rated," Mimi said, almost mocking her.

"And why wouldn't it be G-rated? I've known the guy for a week, are you trying to insinuate that I'm some sort of slut?" Sora asked, slightly offended.

"No, no! It's just that, well you know, you haven't exactly… I mean, it's not like…in the past you've…" Mimi fell all over herself, trying to make her point without offending her best friend. "You mean to tell me that _nothing_ has happened with you two?" she spit out finally, changing the subject slightly.

Sora was about to answer with a 'no' when she stopped short. She thought about her and Tai. Nothing major had happened, that was true. But, she _had_ spent last night in his bed. Nothing had happened, of course, they were _only_ friends, but still…Mimi would consider that something, so she probably should tell her.

"Well…" she said after a long silence. That was all Mimi needed.

"OH MY GOD SOMETHING HAPPENED! So what was it, did you kiss? I bet you kissed…are you to going out now? Are you in love? Well!"

"Mimi, would you calm down? No we haven't kissed, I'm not dating him, and I most certainly am NOT in love!"

"Oh." Mimi said, calming down a little. "So what did happen?"

Sora took a deep breath, ready to explain. "Last night…I slept with him."

Almost as a reflex, Mimi slammed the breaks down, and stopped in the middle of the street. Thankfully, nobody was behind them, so they didn't get into an accident. "You _WHAT_?"

Sora laughed, realizing that had come out totally wrong. "No, not like that. I didn't _sleep_ with him, Mimi. We watched a scary movie before we went to bed, and I got really scared, so he let me sleep in his room. Nothing happened, honestly, I don't like Tai like that."

The second it came out of her mouth, she realized it was true. Tai was like a brother to her…she didn't _like_ like him, she only liked him. Mimi, finally understanding what Sora meant, began driving again.

"If you say so," she said, still not convinced.

……………………………………………………………

Sora got home, with three shopping bags in each hand. She opened the door, walked in, and collapsed on the couch.

"You look completely drained. I thought you just went shopping?" Tai asked, his head in the fridge.

"I didn't _just_ go shopping. I went shopping with Mimi. That's practically like playing in the Olympics!" It was true. Shopping with Mimi was, to say the least, incredibly exhausting. Sora's muscles ached, and she could fall asleep at any second. It never used to be like this when she and Mimi went shopping…maybe because she had been gone so long. Regardless, she decided she would have to stretch before they went shopping again.

Tai laughed…what else could he do? The sight in front of him was nothing short of hysterical. While Sora was gone, he had done a lot of thinking about the two of them. He decided, finally, that he didn't like her…not that way at least. Knowing that, he felt a lot more comfortable around her. Sora shifted, and stood up from the couch.

"Owwww," she moaned as she walked toward the stairs. Tai laughed once again. "You think this is funny, Kamiya?" she said with an almost threatening tone.

"Pretty much," he said coolly. He then walked over to her, and picked her up.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sora asked, slightly distressed.

"Giving you a ride. Unless you want me to stop?" he teased, loosening his grip slightly.

"Tai, don't you _dare_ drop me!"

"Oh, would you calm down!"

……………………………………………………………

Sora lay in her bed that night, tossing and turning. She couldn't sleep, even though she was exhausted from shopping. She couldn't figure out why she was having so much trouble falling asleep…she had had such a great night's sleep last night, what was different tonight? Then it hit her: she was with Tai last night. Could that be what was keeping her up? Why did she feel the need to sleep with him…she didn't feel anything for him, so why did it matter? Unless she did…

Shaking it off, she rolled over, and shut her eyes. After another ten minutes, she decided she would go knock on Tai's door. If he were already sleeping, she would just go back to bed. Standing up, she stretched, and walking to her door. She opened it, and came face-to-face with…Tai.

"Hey…I was just…"

"Yeah," she said, turning around. He shut the door behind him, and they got in Sora's bed.

Within minutes, they were both fast asleep.

……………………………………………………………

**  
Review please : )**


	8. Concert and a Bet

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.**

**Warning: This chapter contains mimato.**

**Chapter Eight: Concert and a Bet**

……………………………………………………………

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora woke up to her alarm clock. Reaching out from under her covers, she shut it off. She could feel Tai's arms around her, and it felt so good. It wasn't uncomfortable or weird, because she _knew_ that she didn't have any feelings for him. She shut her eyes, and went back to sleep.

Over an hour later, Tai and Sora were woken by the phone. Tai reached over Sora and picked up the phone on her nightstand. She had remembered to hook it up a few days ago, so he didn't have to run downstairs.

"Hello?" Tai said groggily.

"Tai? Hey, it's Mimi. Is Sora there?" Mimi's cheerful voice asked from the other end.

"Yeah, she's right here, one sec Mimi," he said and handed Sora the phone.

"Meems?" Sora breathed into the receiver.

"Yup, it's me. Did I wake you?" she asked.

"Yeah, but that's alright. I had to get up anyways," she answered.

"Oh, okay. So am I right to assume that Tai is beside you?" she laughed.

"Oh, shut up, will you? What did you call for, anyway?"

"Sorry. Just wondering if you wanted to come with me to Matt's concert tonight," she offered.

"Ooooh, Matt? You mean the cute guy with blonde hair?"

"You've met him before. Before you moved away, a few times," Mimi explained, blushing on the other end. "Do you remember him?"

"Yeah…Actually, I ran into him last night after I got back from the mall. Real cute…good kisser, too," Sora teased. Of course she hadn't kissed Matt, she would never betray Mimi like that. But, that didn't mean she wouldn't mess with her head a little bit.

She felt Tai sit up behind her, obviously shocked at what she had just said. She looked over at him, and shook her head. Sora smiled inward when she saw him relax a bit. It was cute the way he was so protective of her. Like a brother, or a boyfr— She stopped short, and scolded herself for thinking that.

"You…_WHAT?_" Mimi screamed into the phone. Sora couldn't take it anymore: she broke down laughing.

"Calm down Mimi, Jesus! I'm just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you…I know how into this guy you are. Hell, your all he talks about sometimes!"

Mimi just laughed. It was true, she _did_ really like him, and Sora knew she wasn't going to hide it. Sora also knew that Matt liked her back. She _had_ run into Matt after the mall, but they sure didn't kiss. He mostly talked about Mimi, just like Mimi talks about Matt.

"I don't know, Meems. I don't want to be, like, a third wheel, or something."

"Then have Tai come, silly," she said. Sora rolled her eyes. She knew Mimi had an ulterior motive for inviting her. She was going to try and set up the two of them. Fine, they'd go, but Sora would be on constant watch for any potential 'setting-up'.

"Yeah, sounds good. Look, I gotta go but I'll see you tonight, call me later ok?"

"Yup. Ciao," Mimi said cheerfully, then hung up.

Sora hung up the phone, and yawned.

"Where are you going tonight?" Tai asked, curiously.

"_We're_ going to a concert with Mimi. The guy she likes, Matt, his band's playing, and she wants us to come."

"Oh, all right," he said.

……………………………………………………………

Sora, Tai, and Mimi sat at a table in some club that night, listening to Matt's band rock out.

"Not bad," Tai said.

"Mmhmmm," Sora agreed.

"Yeah, they're great!" Mimi said, fawning all over Matt.

Sora smiled at her best friend. The entire night, Matt had been staring right at Mimi, and she had been staring right back. Though there was an entire crowd full of people, it seemed like Matt was just singing right to Mimi, and Mimi alone.

"Would you look at those two?" Tai said into her ear. She laughed, and nodded.

"By the end of the week, I guarantee they'll be together," she said.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Incase you didn't pick up on it, they don't seem like they're too forward. I say by the end of the week they'll have made out, but that's it," he countered.

She looked at him, and thought about it. "How about a bet?"

He nodded. "Ok, but I want to remind you that the week is over in two days. What do we get if we win?"

She thought about it for a minute, biting her lip. Then she smiled. "If I win, you have to be my slave for a week. That means you have to do _anything_ I want you to, no matter what it is." Tai just stared at her, as if she were crazy.

"And if I win? It has to be _really_ good if I'm willing to be your slave for a week," he bargained. Sora thought about it some more, not knowing what to say. She was positive she would win, which meant it didn't matter what she bet.

"If you win," she said, leaning in even closer, "I'll sleep with you." Tai almost spit his drink out when she said this. Was she serious? He looked at her, and she looked pretty serious. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Deal?" she asked, holding out her hand. He shook it, grinning lopsidedly.

"Deal."

……………………………………………………………

It was about 11p.m. when Matt and his band finished the final song.

"I'm gonna go talk to Matt when he closes his set. Meet you at the car in five?" Mimi said. Sora nodded, and watched Mimi go. Tai and Sora walked to Mimi's car, and waited outside for her. Five minutes passed. Then ten, then fifteen. Sora and Tai decided to go look for her, because Sora was getting worried. The club they were at had been known to be wild at times, and Sora was scared something had happened when she didn't show. They walked into the club, and went around back.

"Can I help you?" a big, muscular man asked them. He was blocking the doorway, probably there to stop fans from sneaking into Matt's dressing room.

"We're friends of Mimi. Pink hair, really pretty, about this tall," Sora said, gesturing to show how tall Mimi was.

"Oh, her. Yeah, I remember her. She's around back talking to Matt, last time I checked," he said, moving out of the way for the two to pass.

"Thanks," Sora said, relieved that Mimi was with Matt. She figured that Mimi would be safe with him.

Tai and Sora walked for about 30 seconds until they stumbled upon a rather interesting sight:

There was Mimi, against the wall with her legs wrapped around Matt, who had his hands on her butt. They were making out like crazy. Sora stopped, and stifled a laugh—unsuccessfully. Mimi and Matt stopped, and looked at the two people gawking at them.

"Hey, guys," Mimi said fixing her skirt as Matt backed off. "You remember Matt?"

Sora laughed, and nodded. "I do…and I definitely won't forget him now," she joked. Tai laughed, and turned around, pulling Sora with him.

"We'll leave you two alone for a minute. Meems, meet us at the car in few, and I _mean_ a few. I don't wanna be waiting outside for another 20 minutes because you're sticking your tongue down this musician's throat!" Tai called over his shoulder on their way out.

Mimi blushed, and turned to Matt.

"So…" he said.

"Yeah. Look, I…I gotta go. I'll talk to you later?" she asked. He nodded, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Bye," he said, and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled, and walked to meet them at the car.

……………………………………………………………

"Tai, you can let go now," Sora said as they walked away from Matt and Mimi. Tai let go of her arm, and they kept walking. "That was too funny, wasn't it?"

"Especially when they realized we were watching them. Did you see Mimi's face?" Tai added, laughing. Sora nodded.

"I'm _so_ gonna win this bet," they both said at the same time.

"Oh really?" Sora said.

"Yeah," Tai said. "They made out, didn't they? Just because you make out with someone doesn't mean you're going to date them, right?"

"Well, yeah...but did you see them? They're so gonna go out soon. By the end of the week, I guarantee it."

"Well, you better hope so, because I'm gonna hold you to that bet," Tai said. Sora looked into his chocolate brown eyes, and shrugged. Tai just stared into her crimson eyes, getting lost in them. They kept the eye contact, until they started getting closer and closer to each other.

"Hey, I'm here. Sorry about that," Mimi said, oblivious to what could have happened had she not been there.

"No problem, Meems," Sora assured her. They got in the car, and drove home.

……………………………………………………………

**Next chapter: huge taiora.**


	9. Complications

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.**

**Chapter Nine: Complications**

……………………………………………………………

**One week later:**

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora woke up, and shut her alarm off quickly. She stretched, and rolled over in her bed. Her face would have made contact with the pillow, but there was a note there instead. She opened her eyes, and pulled the piece of paper out from under her cheek.

Sor, 

Went to visit my parents, a few towns over. Probably won't be back for dinner, so don't wait for me. See you when I get back

_- Tai._

Sora put the note back down, and shut her eyes. She might as well stay in bed today, what else was she going to do? Mimi was probably with Matt…and if she _was_ free to do something, she'd just talk about Matt the entire time. Sora lay there, getting closer and closer to sleep.

RING RING RING

Her eyes shot open, and she reached out to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she groaned into the receiver.

"Hey, Sor. What's up?" Mimi's sickeningly perky voice asked. Sora smiled: she hadn't talked to Mimi since that night at the club. They weren't in a fight or anything; they had just been too busy to talk.

"Nothing much, just laying around. So, did you have a good time the other night?" Sora asked. She figured Mimi was waiting for her to bring it up, so she could talk about it.

"Uh, yeah. I had an okay time," Mimi said.

"What?" Sora said, sitting up in her bed. "Hello? Do you remember what happened that night? Matt—the guy you've being gawking over for as long as I can remember—kissed you! Forget kissed, you'd have to make a whole new word for what you two did!"

Mimi was silent. She was probably too embarrassed to say anything. Instead, she changed the subject. "So, we doing anything today? It's been ages since we went out, and you're leaving in a few weeks!"

It was true: just 16 days left until she was leaving. She had been here for 15 already, and they had been great. Her mother returned from her business trip the day after the club 'incident', but had gotten called to _another _flower shop-crisis in _another_ city. She sighed. She had wished she could have spent more time with her mother, but it wasn't her fault. Sora understood that her mother couldn't just _abandon_ her work because she was visiting. Plus, it let her spend more time with Mimi and Tai, so she didn't mind too much.

"Yeah, we can do whatever you want…it's just me here today so I want to get out of the house," Sora said. They chatted a while more, and finally hung up. Sora showered, got dressed, and then she and Mimi went to the mall for the day.

……………………………………………………………

Sora sat on her bed that night, watching a movie on TV. It was 10:45 p.m.

"I'm home!" she heard Tai call from downstairs.

"Up here," she yelled back.

A minute later, he walked through her bedroom door, and collapsed on her bed. "Hey," he said lifelessly.

"You look beat. Stressful day with the folks?" she asked.

"Worse. Remember that night we went to Matt's concert? Well when my sister found out, she begged me to get his autograph for her. Turns out she's, like, in love with the guy, or something. Anyway, when I went up there today, I brought it for her and she freaked out. She was so happy that she wanted to spend the whole day with me. The entire time I was gone, I was being dragged from place to place because Kari wanted to go shopping, bowling, skating, out to lunch, to a movie, and mini-putting!" Tai groaned. Sora laughed, and pulled him so he was sitting up.

"Here," she said as she got behind him, and massaged his shoulders. His head rolled back, as her fingers worked their magic.

"Ok, my turn!" Sora said, after twenty minutes.

"What?" Tai shrieked.

"Oh, come on. You don't think I did all that for nothing?" she pleaded. He laughed, and they switched positions: Sora sat there watching her movie as Tai massaged her shoulders. There was only 20 minutes left in the movie, and she couldn't wait for the ending. The movie had so many twists and turns, and she knew the end would clear up the mystery.

"Mmmm," she said as her head rolled to one side, exposing her neck. She closed her eyes.

And that was all Tai needed. She was driving him crazy, and he couldn't take it anymore. He leaned in, his eyes closed, and kissed her neck. Sora's eyes opened for a split second, then closed again. She turned around slowly, neither of them opening their eyes. Sora kissed him hard on the mouth, as his hands traveled down her back. He licked her lips, and she opened her mouth. He slid his tongue in, and they kissed even more passionately. Her hands found their way into his wild mess of hair, as his went up the back of her shirt. They fell back onto the bed, Sora on top of Tai.

He moved his hands from under her shirt, and slid off her black hoodie. Now, she was just wearing a pale pink tank top and skirt. Sora started to slide his shirt off. They broke apart for a split-second, as the shirt came up over Tai's head. Sora threw it away, and it smacked into her lamp. It fell to the ground and smashed, but neither of them noticed. They were too wrapped up in what they were doing.

Tai flipped over, so he was on top of her. They continued to kiss, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His hand traveled up her long, tanned leg, as Sora slid her hands over his chest.

RING RING RING

Tai began kissing her neck, as Sora let out a moan. They didn't even hearing the phone.

RING RING RING

Still, they didn't hear the phone.

RING RING RING

Finally, the ringing got through. They broke apart quickly. Reality hit, and they realized what had just happened. Sitting there, Sora in a tiny tank top, Tai shirtless, they stared at each other.

RING RING RING

Tai snapped out of the trance, and ran downstairs to answer the phone. He could have just picked up the phone beside Sora's bed, but he knew they wouldn't be comfortable alone together anymore. "Hello?" he said, when he finally answered the phone.

"Hey man, what took you so long?" Matt's voice asked.

"I, uh, I just got home," Tai lied.

"Oh. So, did you're sis like the autograph?" Matt asked.

"Yeah…yeah, she loved it. Look, I gotta go. See ya." He hung up before Matt even responded. He knew it wasn't Matt's fault, but he was furious with him for interrupting his moment with Sora.

……………………………………………………………

Sora sighed, and put her hoodie back on. Straightening out her skirt, she glanced at the TV. The movie had ended a few minutes earlier. Sora scolded herself, but she wasn't sure why. Was she angry because she kissed Tai, or was she angry that she stopped?

Shaking it off, she looked at her clock. It was 11:30 p.m. Tired, she put her pajamas on, and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

She heard Tai hang up when she walked into the hallway. She ran into the bathroom, to avoid him.

Needless to say, Tai and Sora slept alone, in their own rooms, that night.

……………………………………………………………

**Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I'll mention who won the bet in a later chapter.**


	10. Awkwardness

**Disclaimer: Don't own digimon. Hope everyone liked the last chapter! **

**Chapter 10: Awkwardness**

……………………………………………………………

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora rolled over in her bed, and turned off her alarm. She sat up, but wait…something didn't feel right. Where was Tai? Just as soon as she thought it, the memory of last night came back to her. She groaned, and sunk back into her bed.

_How the hell did that happen? I thought you didn't have any feelings for Tai?_ Sora asked herself. _God, how could you kiss him! _She replayed the events that took place last night._ Wait a second…he kissed me first. The nerve of that jerk! Where does he get off doing that? _Furious, Sora got out of her bed, determined to find Tai and give him a piece of her mind. She barely got to the door before…

"OUCH!" Her foot made contact with a shard of glass. Last night before bed, she decided she was too tired to clean up the glass and made a mental note to do it the next day. Obviously, she had forgotten all about it. She fell to the ground, clutching her foot.

"You okay?" Tai asked, running into her room. He looked down at her, and dropped to his knees.

"No! I stepped on this _STUPID_ piece of glass," she yelled, angry with herself for getting Tai involved.

"Here," he said, pulling the glass out of her foot. She winced, and shut her eyes. "There's some still stuck in there, can you get to the bathroom?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, trying unsuccessfully to stand up.

"Who are you kidding? Here," he said, picking her up. Sora bit her lip hard, scolding herself for needing Tai's help. They got to the bathroom, and Tai used the tweezers to get the shards of glass out. He worked so quickly, but so carefully. Sora watched him as he finished up. He looked up at her, and grinned lopsidedly. She smiled back, and all her anger towards him washed away.

"All done," he said softly.

"Thanks." He got up, and walked out of the bathroom. Sora sighed. _This is gonna be a long day._ She stood up, and hobbled back to her room.

……………………………………………………………

Somehow, miraculously, the day came and went. That night, Sora lay in her bed, thinking. It had definitely been the most uncomfortable day of her life. She hated the fact that she felt that way around Tai, and vice-versa. They had such a good friendship going, until last night. She hoped that maybe things would get better, before she had to leave. Rolling over, she fell asleep.

……………………………………………………………

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora shut her alarm clock off, and stretched. She pushed her covers off, and stood up.

RING RING RING

She reached over for the phone, and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sor," Mimi's voice said over the other end.

"Oh, hey Meems. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to know if you and Tai wanted to get out of the house today. Matt and I are gonna go to lunch later, wanna come?" Sora bit her lip. As fun as it sounded, she didn't know if she wanted to be with the three of them. Mimi and Matt would be all over each other the entire time…so it would just be her and Tai alone for most of the day. Were they ready for that yet? But then again…just hanging around the house would keep the two of them alone together, so why not at least get out?

"Sure. One sec, I'll ask Tai. Just hold on," she said, as she put the phone down. She ran down the hall to Tai's room, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," he said sleepily.

"Hey. Did I wake you?" Sora asked.

"No…the phone did a minute ago. What do you need?"

"Mimi wants to know if we wanted to do something with her and Matt today." Tai nodded, and Sora went to tell Mimi.

"Meems? I'm back," she said into the phone.

"What took you so long?"

"Well, I had to go to Tai's room and see if he was awake," she explained.

"So, you two are in separate bedrooms again?" Mimi asked, almost mockingly.

"Yeah, so?" Sora didn't really want to explain _why_ they were in separate rooms, so she tried to brush her off. Sighing, she caved. "I'll tell you later." They chatted a bit longer, until Mimi went to go get ready.

……………………………………………………………

Sora rolled her eyes as Mimi fed Matt a French fry. Ever since Mimi and Matt had gotten together, which wasn't too long ago, they had been one of those annoying P.D.A. couples. And today wasn't too different. There they were, across from Tai and Sora, Mimi on Matt's lap. It was amazing how close they had become since that night at his concert.

By the time the week had ended, three days after the concert, they weren't together. Which meant that Sora lost the bet. Tai didn't make her hold up her end of the bargain, of course. Long story short, she still had to make it up to him somehow.

"Dear God, they don't quit, do they?" Tai whispered.

"No, they really don't," she replied, just as annoyed as he was. Tai sighed heavily, as Sora did the same. "Excuse me, I need to use the ladies room," Sora said, getting up. She grabbed Mimi's hand as she walked by, pulling her along to the bathroom. She winced as she felt her foot hit the ground hard-she still had a cut from the glass.

"What was that for?" Mimi asked when they got into the bathroom.

"Oh please, you two are making me sick out there! I mean, how would you feel if I did that to you?"

"Did what? Why are you making such a big deal about this? It's not like I stranded you with a stranger, you have Tai!"

"No, I have an uncomfortable silence, Mimi!" Sora shot back, causing Mimi to raise an eyebrow.

"And why is it uncomfortable? Did something happen…?" Mimi said, rather curious.

"No! Of course nothing happened. I told you, I don't like Tai that way. Nothing is _ever _going to happen with us, do you understand that?" Sora said firmly. She didn't want to admit to Mimi that she was right…Sora hated it when Mimi was right.

"Oh, well…you never know. Anyways, I'll take it down a notch with Matt, ok? Forgive me?"

"Always." They walked back to the table.

……………………………………………………………

"Come in!" Sora yelled as someone knocked on her door. It opened, and Tai came into her room. "Oh, hey," she said.

"Hey I was just…what are you doing?" he asked, confused.

"Packing." There she was, duffel bag on her bed, folding clothes.

"But…you're not leaving for, like, 15 days!" Tai practically screamed.

"I know, but…" She paused as the phone began to ring.

RING RING RING

"Hello?" she said, picking it up.

"Sora? Hey, it's dad," her father said from the other end.

"Daddy? Hi! Where are you, are you home?" She wanted to go home really bad, but part of her was upset that she'd be leaving.

"No, I'm still in America. I just wanted to call and tell you that I'm taking the job for sure. We're moving to America!"

"Oh, daddy that's great," Sora said semi-happily. They hung up, and Sora finished filling her duffle bag. She had decided to pack because she had clothes all over the place, and knew she would wind up leaving something behind when she left. She had left some clothes out, so she didn't have to keep going into her bag to get changed.

"Can we talk?" Tai asked when she hung up.

"Sure," she nodded. She knew what was coming.

"So, I, uh…I'm…Look, I'm sorry about, you know," he stammered.

"Yeah…me, too."

"Okay…so, we're good?" Sora smiled, and nodded.

……………………………………………………………


	11. Planning

**Disclaimer: don't own digimon! I did, however, just buy the first season on VHS : ) I don't own the grudge, the exorcist, or the others, either.**

**Chapter Eleven: Planning**

……………………………………………………………

**Ten Days Later:**

Over time, the awkwardness between Tai and Sora slowly faded. Now, ten days had passed, and Sora was bound to leave in five.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora rolled over, and turned off her alarm. She checked the calendar on her nightstand. Five days…just five more days. She felt a twinge of sadness because she wasn't looking forward to leaving. Sure, she missed her dad and everything, but she was really starting to love living in Odaiba. She wasn't looking forward to moving to America, either. Living halfway across the world would definitely make it even harder to stay in touch with her friends. She was going to miss Mimi, Matt, and especially Tai. She stood up, and went downstairs to get breakfast.

"Good morning, honey," Sora's mom said when she walked in. She sniffed, and could smell pancakes.

"Morning. Smells good," Sora said.

"Thanks."

RING RING RING

Sora reached over, and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hey Sor." Mimi said from the other end. "Is Tai there?"

"Uh…yeah. Hold on a sec, Meems," Sora said. She grabbed the cordless, and ran up to get Tai, confused as to why she would want him and not her. She went into his room, and woke him up.

"Mimi's on the phone for _you,_" she said, emphasizing the "you" part. He raised an eyebrow, and took the cordless extension from her. Sora turned around, and left.

"Meems?" Tai said into the phone.

"Tai? Hey, I know you're probably wondering why I'm calling you…but I have a _great_ idea! Let's throw Sora a surprise going away party!" Mimi suggested. Tai smiled.

"That's a great idea, Meems. When should we have it?"

"I was thinking tomorrow. After all, we only have five days left, and today would be impossible because we have way too much to do."

"Sounds good. How about you and Matt go shopping for everything, and I'll keep her busy for today?" Tai suggested.

"Perfect, I gotta go call Matt, but I'll talk to you later," Mimi said.

"Bye Meems," Tai said before he hung up.

……………………………………………………………

The day dragged by rather slowly. Tai figured he had better keep Sora busy, but he had no idea what they could do.

"Tell you what: we can go to the video store, and you can pick out the scariest movie there," Sora said that afternoon as they lay on the couch.

"Seriously?" Tai asked, his eyes wide. She nodded.

"Yeah. It's the middle of the day, so I won't get too scared. Plus, I promised myself I would watch a full one before I left." Tai laughed, and grabbed the car keys. Sora's mom was at work, but luckily, Tai had his own car. They walked out the door, and drove to the video store. They had decided to watch a relatively new movie, since they both agreed that the old ones weren't as good.

"Ok, Sor, take your pick. 'The Exorcist', 'The Grudge', or 'The Others'?" Tai asked, holding up the three movies. Sora bit her lip, and tried to pick the least-scariest one. Finally, she just decided to shut her eyes and point. She pointed to 'The Others'. They rented it, and left the store.

……………………………………………………………

That night, Matt called Tai when he got home from shopping. Tai had some trouble getting away from Sora, in order to take the call in private. Sora was so scared from the movie that she didn't want to be alone in a room, but Tai needed to talk to Matt alone. Finally, he got away from her long enough to have a conversation.

"Hey, did you get the stuff?" Tai asked.

"Yeah. We bought streamers, hats, and all kinds of other decorations. We got some chips and other food, too. Meems wanted me to call so Sora didn't get too suspicious," Matt explained.

"Yeah, good idea. This morning I think she knew something was up. Mimi's never called to talk to _me_ before."

"So…now all we need to do is invite people. Any ideas?" Tai thought about it…he wasn't too sure whom to invite. Since it was the summer, Sora hadn't gotten together with school friends, and basically just hung out with the three of them.

"Ok…there's you, me, and Mimi, but who else? She did mention something about her friend back home…I think her name was Yolei. Anyway, maybe we could invite her," Tai suggested.

"Well, you'll have to get her number…does Sora have it in her purse or something?"

"Yeah, I should be able to find it. Then, I could have her invite some of Sora's other friends, too. If you talk to Mimi, have her invite some friends that Sora hung out with when they were little." They tossed around ideas for a bit longer, until Matt had to go. Tai walked back into the living room, and found Sora sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Still scared?" he asked her. She nodded.

"I should never have watched that movie. Now I'll be thinking about it all night," she complained. He sat down beside her, and put his arm around her.

"If you get to scared, you can come and wake me. Or, I can stay up with you, if you want," he offered. The truth was, she was leaving in five—now four—days. He was going to miss her a lot, and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her before she left.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be ok," she lied. They watched TV for a bit longer, until Sora fell asleep. Tai didn't know what to do. He thought about bringing her to her room, but he might wake her up in the process. He thought about letting her sleep down here, but if she awoke in the middle of the night she'd freak out. He wasn't sure if either of those were the smart choice. Instead, he shut off the TV, and fell asleep beside her, on the couch.

……………………………………………………………


	12. Party Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.**

**Chapter Twelve: Party Time**

……………………………………………………………

Sora woke up the next morning, alone on the couch. _I must have fallen asleep here last night,_ she thought. She stretched, and walked to the kitchen, where her mom was reading the paper.

"Oh, you're up," her mother said. Sora nodded. "Well, sorry but I have to get to work. Tai isn't home, he went out about an hour ago. Or else he'd still be asleep on the couch with you," she said, laughing. Sora blushed slightly, knowing her mother had the wrong impression of her and Tai. She wondered why Tai had gotten up so early, and where he was. He had left to help Mimi set up for Sora's party, but Sora didn't know that. _Maybe he's sneaking around with a girl,_ she thought. The thought of Tai with a girl upset Sora, and she didn't know why. She didn't want him…and yet she didn't want someone else to have him. Unless…she _did_ want him.

……………………………………………………………

"Everyone, be quiet! Here she comes," Mimi whispered as everyone hid in the dark. The door opened, and Tai stepped into Mimi's house, followed by Sora. He flicked on the light.

"SURPRISE!" the roomful of people yelled. Sora looked around at everyone. Mimi and Matt were there, of course, but there were others, too. Yolei was there, and so were Rachel, Samantha, Rob, and Krista, her friends from back home. There were also four kids whom she didn't recognize.

"Is all this for me?" Sora asked happily. Everyone nodded. Mimi walked over to her, and gave her a hug.

"Sora, this is Izzy, and that's Joe. Do you remember them?" Sora nodded, and hugged them hello. She and Mimi were good friends with them before Sora moved away with her father. "That's T.K. He's Matt's brother," Mimi introduced Sora to a boy a few years younger than herself. "And this is Kari, Tai's sister."

Sora said hello to them, and got some chips. She was having a conversation with Yolei and Mimi, but her mind was wondering…and so were her eyes. She found herself watching Tai, who was across the room. He was clowning around with his sister, Kari. She thought it was so weird to see Tai in 'big brother mode'. He was way overprotective, especially when he saw Kari talking to T.K.

"Earth to Sora," Yolei said, waving a hand in her face. Sora snapped out of her trance, and turned back to Yolei and Mimi.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Where were you just now?" Mimi asked, having a pretty good idea where Sora was looking.

"I was just…" she trailed off. She didn't want to admit that she was watching Tai. She didn't have any feeling for Tai, but she knew Mimi would think otherwise.

"You were watching that really cute guy with the brown hair, weren't you?" Yolei cut in. Mimi laughed, and Sora blushed.

"Girl, just face it. You love him," Mimi added.

"I do _not_! He's just my friend, and that's all. Got it?" she looked back and forth between Yolei and Mimi.

"I don't know about that…I think he likes you. I mean, he's been staring at you the entire time," Yolei said. Sora turned her head toward Tai and Kari, and saw Tai looking at her. She smiled and he smiled back before looking away rather quickly.

"You know, I think that you and Izzy would look good together," Sora said to Yolei, trying to change the subject.

"Really? Well, he is kind of cute," she gushed. Mimi rolled her eyes, and went to talk to Matt.

……………………………………………………………

An hour later, the party was in full swing. Yolei and Izzy had really hit it off, and Sora was trying her best to avoid Tai. She didn't need to give Mimi another reason to bug her about him. Instead, she got to know his sister, Kari. She was a really sweet girl, and was really mature for her age. Kari was nothing like Tai, and yet she sort of reminded Sora of him.

In another conversation, T.K. was talking to Mimi. She was trying to get all the dirt on Matt, but T.K. wasn't breaking too easily. Honestly, he wasn't really paying attention. He liked Mimi, she seemed nice enough, but he was focusing on someone else, across the room. He was watching Kari.

Joe, Matt, and Tai were hanging out with Rob, while Samantha, Krista, and Rachel flirted with them. Mimi, who had stopped her conversation with T.K., was pretty irritated when she saw this. She walked over to them, sat on Matt's lap, and kissed him pretty deeply. The girls backed off, but not before Samantha and Rachel slipped Joe and Tai their numbers. Sora noticed this, and was oddly jealous. She didn't want Tai to start dating her friend, especially when she would be in America, and not able to keep an eye on them.

"So, my brother's told me a lot about you, Sora," Kari said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Really?" she asked. She was pleased that Tai talked about her.

"Yeah. He really likes you." _Uh oh,_ Sora thought, _I can see where this conversation is going._

"Well, I think someone likes _you_," she said, gesturing across the room. Kari looked up, and noticed T.K. was staring at her. He looked away quickly, blushing. Kari laughed, and blushed slightly.

……………………………………………………………

"Bye, thanks for coming," Sora said to Yolei, Rob, Krista, Rachel, and Samantha as they left.

"We're gonna miss you so much, Sor. Are you sure you have to leave? What will I do without you?" Yolei said sadly. Sora smiled.

"Yeah, I have to. But don't worry, I'll still visit. Plus, you can call me anytime you want, no matter what time it is in America," she said comfortingly. Yolei nodded, and Sora hugged everyone goodbye.

"Yeah, I gotta drive T.K. home now, so I'm leaving. Bye Meems," Matt said, kissing her. "Bye Sor, I'll miss you," he said. Then he whispered, "Mimi will be a complete mess without you." Sora smiled, and hugged him goodbye.

"It was nice meeting you," T.K. said as he left. A car horn honked in the driveway, and Kari stood up.

"That's gotta be mom. Bye everyone. Bye Sora," she said as she got her shoes on and left. Now, only Tai, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, and Joe remained. They talked for a while more, until Joe and Izzy left.

"Well Meems, we gotta go. Mom's probably wondering where we are," Sora said.

"Yeah, okay," Mimi said, hugging Sora. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Me too, but we'll definitely keep in touch. Plus, I'll be down here all the time, I promise."

……………………………………………………………

Sora and Tai walked into their house, and went upstairs.

"Tai," she said before going into her room.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Oh, no I didn't do anything. The party was Mimi's idea," he explained.

"No, I don't just mean the party. Thanks for everything," she said. She kissed him on the cheek, and went into her room. Tai just stood there, wishing with everything he had that she wasn't leaving in three days, but she was. Sighing, he went into his room, and went to sleep.

……………………………………………………………


	13. This Sucks

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon **

**Chapter Thirteen: This Sucks**

……………………………………………………………

Three Days Later 

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora groaned, and turned off her alarm. Just one more day, and then she'd be gone forever. She was instantly in a bad mood. She didn't want to leave…not just yet, anyway. Why couldn't she have one more month? Even one more week would be fine. When she first found out she'd be living with her mom for a month, she was really upset. But now, she didn't want to leave. But she couldn't do anything now, her dad was already flying down to get her, and she didn't want to disappoint him.

……………………………………………………………

When she came downstairs, showered and dressed almost an hour later, Tai was downstairs watching TV.

"Morning," he said sleepily.

"Morning," she said glumly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just…I'm leaving tomorrow and I _really_ want to stay," she explained, sitting down beside him.

"So," he said, putting an arm around her, "stay."

"I can't. It's not that easy, or I would." And that was the truth. If she had a choice, she probably would stay. But she didn't want to leave her dad like that. He would be crushed if she called and said she was staying in Odaiba with her mom. He nodded, knowing she didn't want to talk about it.

"So, what should we do today? Anything you want," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"Hmmm…" she thought about it, not sure what she wanted to do. Part of her just wanted to go to bed, and hope that when she woke up this was all a bad dream.

"Ok, I've got a few ideas. Give me a half hour to get ready, and then I'm taking you out, okay?" She nodded as he went upstairs to get dressed.

……………………………………………………………

"Let's go in here," Sora said, pulling Tai into a clothing store. He had taken her to breakfast, and now they were at the mall. Sora had already bought a new shirt and pair of jeans, and was having a great time. Tai then pulled _her_ into a jewelry store.

"Do you like these?" he asked her, holding up a pair of earrings. Sora smiled, and went over to look at them.

"Yeah, they're really pretty," she said.

"Good. I'll take these," he said to the salesman.

"What! Tai Kamiya, you are _not_ spending that much money on me! No way, I won't let you," she argued.

"Sora," he said, leaning in very close, "sometimes you just need to say 'thank you' and shut up. Besides, you need _something_ to remember me by." She stared into his eyes, and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Besides, they're on sale," he added, grinning. She laughed, and they left the store.

……………………………………………………………

"Come in," Sora said when she heard someone knock on her door. It was almost midnight, and she thought everyone was in bed. She was doing some last-minute packing. The next day, she had to catch the 2:00 bus back home, and then meet her dad at the airport, where all her stuff would be waiting for her.

"Hey," Tai said quietly when he walked in.

"Hey."

"So…you're really leaving, huh?" he asked, watching as she packed.

"Yeah. Hard to believe it's been a month already. It went by so fast," she said, and he nodded. "Tai?"

"Yeah?"

"I had a lot of fun while I was here. I mean, I had a _really_ great time, and it was mostly because of you. I just wanted to tell you that," she said quietly. He pulled her into a tight hug, and stroked her hair.

"I'm going to miss you, Sor," he whispered. She nodded. When they separated, he looked deep into her eyes. "There was something that I wanted to give you…you know, when you left. See, I had wanted to for a long time, and promised myself that I would. And I know that you aren't leaving yet, but if I put it off until tomorrow I'll chicken out for sure."

"What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into a kiss. She was slightly shocked, but closed her eyes and kissed him back. She dropped the shirt she was about to pack, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He licked her lips, and she opened her mouth to him. They backed up, and she bumped into her bed. He lowered her onto it, never breaking the kiss. It deepened as the duffel bag Sora was packing fell on the floor, it's contents spilling everywhere. She ran her fingers through his messy hair, as his hands went up her shirt. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to kiss her neck.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora's alarm clock started going off. Tai jumped off her, as she shut it off.

"I…I wanted to get up at noon tomorrow…I must have mixed up the a.m. and p.m." she whispered, slightly out of breath. Tai nodded, and turned to leave. "Wait," she said, and he stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Look, Tai, I really like you, but…" she began

"But, you're moving to America tomorrow, and I'll never see you again," he finished for her. She bit her lip, and nodded.

"This really sucks. I hate the fact that I have to leave, but I still have to." She sighed, and stared into his chocolate eyes. "You want to know something?" she asked, getting closer to him.

"What?" he asked, staring back at her, into her crimson eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you the most," she whispered, before their lips made contact once more. Tai pushed her up against the wall, and licked her lips. She opened her mouth, and began sucking on his bottom lip. Her hands ran through his hair, and over his chest. He began kissing her neck, as she moaned. He pushed her tighter against the wall, as his hands went up her skirt. "Tai," she said, stopping him. "I have to finish packing." The truth was, she didn't care about packing. She wanted to continue with Tai, but she couldn't. The longer they stayed like that, the more it would hurt when she left. He understood, but was just as disappointed as she was.

"Goodnight," he said, and kissed her quickly. He walked out of her room, and Sora collapsed on the bed. She got up, fixed her alarm, and threw the rest of her stuff in her bag. She didn't care whether they would wrinkle or not…she could always iron them when she got to America. She shook her head: she had more important things to think about that whether her clothes were wrinkling or not. Sighing, she got into bed, and fell fast asleep.

……………………………………………………………


	14. She's Leaving

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon **

**Chapter Fourteen: She's Leaving**

……………………………………………………………

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sora jerked awake, and turned off her alarm. She buried her face in her pillow, not wanting to get up. She didn't want to leave Odaiba, she didn't want to leave her friends, and she definitely didn't want to leave Tai. Eventually, she got up, and showered. When she got out, she got dressed, and went downstairs.

"Good morning, sweetie," her mother greeted her.

"Morning," she said. She looked over toward the couch, and saw Tai sitting there, looking practically dead. He looked at her, and waved halfheartedly. She smiled and waved back.

"So, we have to leave for the bus station in a half hour. Are you all packed and ready to go?" her mother asked.

"Yeah, I just need to call Mimi and say goodbye," Sora said. Her mother nodded, and went back to reading the newspaper.

……………………………………………………………

"Hello?" Mimi said, answering the phone.

"Hey, it's me," Sora said.

"Hey…so, you're leaving soon I guess?" Mimi said sadly.

"Yeah. I was just calling to say goodbye."

"Oh. Well, bye then." Mimi wasn't too good at goodbyes. Not over the phone, at least. If they were in person, she would be hugging her and crying like crazy. But she couldn't really do anything over the phone.

"Meems?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm really gonna miss you. And I know that I'll probably still talk to you everyday and all…but it won't be the same, you know?"

"Yeah…I know. I'm going to miss you, too. Are you sure you can't stay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Meems, I gotta tell you something."

"What is it?"

"That day in the restaurant bathroom when I said nothing happened between me and Tai…I lied."

"Oh. I kinda figured that you did," she said. She wasn't really in an 'I-told-you-so' kind of mood. Plus, she was too sad to rub it in.

"Yeah. Look, I have to go. I'll call you when I get there?"

"You damn well better," she said, laughing.

"Bye, Meems."

"Bye, Sor."

……………………………………………………………

"Come on, Sora, we gotta go!" Tai yelled from downstairs. Sora grabbed her duffle bag, ran out of her bedroom, and down the stairs.

"Sorry," she said, putting on her shoes. Her mother grabbed the car keys, and the three of them piled into the car.

The car ride to the bus station was very quiet. Nobody was saying anything. Sora kept wishing that something—_anything_—would happen to keep her from reaching the bus station. Finally, after what felt like forever, the car pulled into a parking spot. Sora sighed, and got out of the car. Tai walked around to the trunk, and got her duffle bag out. The three of them walked to where the bus would be arriving, and Sora got ready to say goodbye.

"Well…this is it," Sora said. Her mother nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Bye sweetie, I'll miss you," she said, hugging her. "If _ever_ you get lonely in America, you can call me no matter _what_ time it is here. And I expect you down here for holidays, missy," she whispered.

"Just call and tell me when, mom," Sora said. Her mother kissed her on the cheek, and let her go. Sora looked at Tai, not sure what to do. Finally, she hugged him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be." He hugged her even tighter, not wanting to let her go. The bus pulled up behind them, and Tai let her go. She kissed him on the cheek, and picked up her bag. She ran to the bus, to get on before it left.

"Come on, let's go kid," Mrs. Takenouchi said to Tai.

"Yeah…in a minute," he said. She nodded, and went to get the car. Tai just stood there, watching the bus pull away. Once it was completely gone, he half-expected Sora to still be standing there. But she wasn't. Shaking his head, he turned around, and walked back to the car.

……………………………………………………………

"Hello?" Tai said eagerly, answering the phone.

"Hey!" a rather familiar voice said from the other end.

"Oh, hey! How was your flight?" Tai practically screamed.

"It was good. _Really_ long, but good. What time is it there?" she asked. Tai checked his watch.

"It's about 10:30 p.m. here. What time is it in California?"

"5:30 in the morning," she laughed. Tai's eyes widened.

"Well…that makes it a bit harder to talk on the phone, now doesn't it?" Tai said. His already bad mood got even worse. The one thing he was counting on was being able to talk to her whenever he wanted…and now he couldn't even do that.

"Tai?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't mind getting up early. That is, if you don't mind staying up late," she suggested.

"Not at all," he said, grinning. They worked it out so that they would call each other at 6:30 a.m. her time, and 11:30 p.m. his time.

"Well, I'm gonna go take a nap. I'm so dead from the flight over here that I can barely keep my eyes open right now. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll call you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said as they both hung up. She went into her new room, and collapsed on the bed. She was asleep within minutes.

……………………………………………………………


	15. Missing You

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Missing You**

……………………………………………………………

**Two Weeks Later**

Two weeks had passed, and Sora talked to Tai everyday. She knew she was going to miss Odaiba a lot, but even she was surprised at how homesick she was. Right now, it was 7:30a.m, and Sora had just hung up with Tai.

Her dad walked into the living room, and watched his daughter. She had been moping around the house ever since they got there. At first, he thought she just missed her friends, but now he was starting to think it was more than that.

"Sora?" he said, startling her.

"Yeah, daddy?" he walked over to the couch, and sat down beside her. He could see that her eyes were rimmed with tears.

"What's wrong? You've been moping around ever since we got here. Are you okay?"

"Nothing's wrong, daddy. I'm sorry that I've been kind of miserable lately…it's just that I'm a little homesick. I'll be fine." She put on an incredibly fake smile, which her father saw right through.

"Don't lie to me, Sora. You're not fine, I can tell."

"I'm not lying…honest," she lied again. She didn't want to tell her father the truth. It would hurt him too much if she told him she wanted to move back to Odaiba.

"Sora, honey," he began. He stopped, and took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. After all, his main concern was that she was happy…but he really wanted her to stay with him. "Do you want to move back to Odaiba?"

His question took her by surprise. "What? Why would you think that? I'm having a good time here daddy, really." He shook his head.

"No, you aren't. Anyone could see that you aren't happy here. Tell the truth," he said.

"I don't know…I guess I just really got attached in Odaiba. Being there kind of reminded me of all the things I missed when I left the first time. And I know that I talk to my friends everyday, but it isn't the same, you know?" Her father nodded.

"Yeah, I understand. I know that this has been hard on you, and I'm sorry."

They sat in silence for a minute, neither sure of what to say. They both knew what was coming, but neither wanted to be the one to say it.

"You really miss him, don't you?" her father asked.

"What?" Sora was taken aback. She knew who he was talking about…how did he know?

"Tai. You really miss him, don't you?" She bit her lip, and nodded.

"Yeah."

"I figured. I mean, you light up whenever he calls. The only time I've seen you smile since we got here is when you're talking to him. The rest of the time, you're a million miles away."

"I'm sorry. I guess when you first said I had to stay with mom…I couldn't wait for you to get back so I could come with you to America. But, I realized while I was there that I really loved Odaiba, and I loved living there. I love my friends, and I guess I kinda didn't want to leave." She felt terrible for telling her father this. She didn't want him to think that she hated living with him, because she didn't. It was living in America that she hated.

"Then why didn't you just tell me? I would have understood."

"I didn't want to disappoint you," she said.

"You could never disappoint me." He was angry with himself, for making her feel that she _had_ to move with him. "So…" he began.

"So?" she was confused. She wasn't sure where the conversation was going anymore.

"I think we both know what you should do."

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	16. Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.**

**Because I'm sure a few of you have been wondering how I posted 15 chapters in one day, I'll explain: I originally posted this story early February (the 4th, I think) and deleted it for some reason. I kept writing the story, just couldn't post it until the 13th. Then I posted it all. I actually had this chapter finished for the 13th as well, but I decided to give you all _something_ to wait for! The only real bummer to deleting my story is that I lost all my reviews : ( so if any readers out there reviewed before, please do it again because I'd love to hear what y'all think about the newer chapters!**

**I know that Kouyako never happened, thank you very much **SoratoFan,** but I didn't want to include Ken since he was younger and couldn't have gone to school with Sora and Mimi. I, personally, am a Kenyako fan, but I was trying to make this as storyline-correct as I could. Also, I said in the beginning I wasn't putting too much emphasis on other couples anyway.**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone!**

**Chapter Sixteen: Surprise**

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**RING RING RING**

The phone was ringing, but Tai didn't really feel like answering it. It was 7:30pm, which meant it definitely wasn't Sora.

**RING RING RING**

Last night, Sora never called him. Finally, he decided to call her, but nobody answered her phone. Maybe she didn't want to talk to him. Maybe she got over him. Maybe he should do the same.

**RING RING RING**

"What?" he said into the phone, annoyed.

"Tai? Is this a bad time? Sorry…I'll call back later," Sora said.

"No, wait! Sorry about that…I was just…I don't know," he said, grinning. She laughed.

"Sorry about yesterday…my phone wasn't working," she lied.

"No problem," he said. Truthfully, he was just relieved she wasn't avoiding him. "Um…why are you calling me now? Isn't it, like, 2:30 in the morning there?"

"Oh, yeah. I couldn't sleep, so I thought maybe I'd just call you. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course that's fine," he said.

"So, I heard my mom's on another business trip?"

"Yeah, she left yesterday. She's gone for a week," he said.

"Are you lonely?" Sora asked.

**DING DONG**

The doorbell went off. Tai stood up from the couch, and went to answer it.

"No, not really," he said coolly. He opened the door, and gasped.

"I guess you don't want any company then," Sora said, standing in the doorway holding her cell phone. Tai just looked at her, not sure if he was dreaming or not.

She leapt into his arms, and kissed him. She kissed him like a woman kisses her husband when he returns from war. He backed up, and she stumbled inside, the two still lip locked. Sora kicked the front door shut, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Tai hung up the phone he was holding, and threw it on the floor. He pushed her against the wall, and kissed her neck. She let out a moan as he sucked her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair as he lifted her up against the wall, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She captured his lips in an intense kiss. He pushed her harder against the wall as she gripped her legs even tighter around his waist.

Slowly, Tai began making his way to the stairs. He was still holding Sora, who still had her legs locked around his torso. He climbed the stairs, and stumbled down the hallway into Sora's room. Tai lowered her on the bed, and continued kissing her. She ran her fingers under his shirt, and pulled it up over his head. They broke apart for a second, but joined again almost immediately. Sora threw the shirt aside, and they flipped so she was on top. She straddled him, and began kissing his chest. Tai slid off Sora's white hoodie, leaving her in a small tank top. He threw the hoodie on the floor, and continued kissing her. They flipped positions once more, so Tai was on top of Sora. His hands began traveling up her shirt, when she stopped him. He pulled his hand away quickly.

"Sorry," Tai whispered, afraid he had gone too far. Sora just laughed, and shook her head reassuringly. She reached over to her nightstand, and took her phone off the hook. She turned back to him, grabbed his hand, and put it back where it was. They continued kissing passionately.

**Three guesses what happened next.**

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	17. Epilogue: Graduation

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon **

**Finally, it's the last chapter! Hope you enjoy it.**

**Epilogue: Graduation**

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"Come on, everyone line up!" Sora's teacher was screaming to everyone. It was graduation day at Odaiba High, and everyone was scurrying around, getting ready. Sora had, of course, stayed in Odaiba. She had moved back in August, just in time more the new school year in September. Now, 10 months later, she was graduating along with Mimi, Tai, Matt, Joe, and Izzy. Sora got in line, alphabetically, behind Mimi.

"So, this is it," Mimi whispered.

"Yeah, looks like. I'm really gonna miss this place," Sora whispered back.

"I'm really glad you came back, Sor."

"Me too," Sora said smiling. She looked up, and saw Tai, followed by Matt, heading toward them. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," he said before kissing her. Mimi and Matt did the same.

"We just wanted to come see our favourite girls one last time before we became 'adults'," Matt said, smirking.

"Yeah, but since we couldn't find them, we figured we might as well come talk to you two," Tai joked. Sora hit him playfully. They leaned in for another kiss when:

"Mr. Kamiya, Mr. Ishida, get back in line!" their teacher screamed. Tai and Matt went back in line, as the graduation music played.

"Here we go," Sora whispered as the line began moving.

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"Matt Ishida," the principal called. Matt walked up, received his diploma, and winked coolly at Mimi. Mimi's screeching could be heard above the applause.

"Izzy Izumi," the principal called once Matt was off the stage. Izzy walked on stage to get his diploma as the principal droned on about all the awards Izzy was receiving. Sora and Mimi applauded, along with the others.

"Tai Kamiya," the principal said as Tai walked on stage. Sora let out a long whistle as he winked at her.

"Joe Kido," the principal announced as Joe walked on stage, and got his diploma. Mimi and Sora cheered and applauded as other classmates and friends were called up on stage. Finally, it was their turns.

"Mimi Tachikawa," the principal said. Sora cheered louder than she though possible as her best friend got her diploma, smiled back at Sora, and waved at Matt. She perkily walked off stage as Sora's name was called.

"Sora Takenouchi." She held her breath, and walked out onto the stage. _Just don't trip,_ she told herself. She glanced into the crowd, and saw all the people she loved. Her mother was there, and her father had flown in as well. She saw Yolei, who was partially there for her and partially for her boyfriend, Izzy. She also saw Kari and T.K. sitting beside each other, Tai and Matt's families on either sides.

She looked into the graduation crowd, and saw Mimi clapping and cheering loudly. She saw Matt and Izzy yelling something she couldn't make out. She saw Joe calming clapping, trying to quiet Tai down. Tai, who was now standing on his seat, was whistling and cheering like crazy. Sora laughed, grabbed her diploma, shook the principals hand, and blew a kiss to the crowd – in particular, Tai. Then she hurried back to her seat, and listened as the rest of the names were called out.

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"Congratulations, Sora!" Kari said, hugging her.

"Thanks," she said happily. T.K. came up behind Kari, and put his arm around her.

"Hey ladies. Congrats Sora," he said, hugging her just as Kari had done. A bunch of girls from the graduating class walked by and winked at T.K. Noticing this, Kari edged closer to her boyfriend, and shot the girls a glance that said 'don't even think about it'. It was becoming more and more apparent that T.K. had picked up Matt's charm. Girls just seemed to naturally flock to him, but he was too head over heals in love with Kari to really notice. Sora smiled at the fifteen-year-olds. Just then, Izzy, Yolei, Joe, Mimi, Matt, and Tai came up behind them.

"I can't believe we actually did it! Can you believe we actually did it!" Mimi screeched as she hugged Sora. Sora just laughed, and shook her head. When they broke apart, Sora exchanged hugs with everyone else.

"Hey gorgeous," Tai said, kissing Sora.

"Ew! Cut it out, you two," Kari groaned. Sora laughed, and they separated.

"So, what are all your plans now that you're out of high school?" Yolei asked. Since she was younger by a year, she still had another year of high school left.

"Actually, we're all going to Tokyo University. It'll be pretty great," Tai said, grinning that lopsided grin of his.

"Hey, we should go home and change if we're going partying tonight," Matt said. The graduating gang nodded.

"Nothing too wild, you guys," Kari lectured, sounding like a parent.

"Yeah, yeah. We know, _mom_." Tai said mocking his little sister.

"I'm serious, Tai. No drinking and driving, and _no_ drugs!" she said sternly.

"Don't worry, Sora and I will keep and eye on them," Mimi told Kari. They said goodbye to the younger ones, and began walking to their cars.

"And no sex, either!" Kari yelled after them. Tai turned around, and began walking backwards.

"Same goes for you. I got my eye on you, T.K.!" Tai shouted, making Kari and T.K. blush. Yolei laughed at the couple.

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**Five Months Later:**

"Tai, hurry up!" Sora yelled. It was November, and they were in their first year of university. The six of them were all living on campus, in the dorms. Mimi and Sora were roommates, as well as Tai and Matt, and Izzy and Joe. Tai and Sora were in her dorm room on a Thursday morning, rushing around.

"I'm hurrying! God, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Mimi can't see you here, or I'll never hear the end of it," Sora said. She threw Tai his pants, and he put them on quickly.

"So? It's not like she came back here last night…she's probably at my dorm with Matt," he hinted. She shot him a look saying, 'you better get out soon, or else'. He shook his head, and laughed. "I'm going, I'm going." He pulled on his shirt, and walked towards the door. "See you in class," he said. He kissed her, and rushed out of the dorm. Sora shut the door behind him.

"Oh…hey, Meems," Tai stammered from the hall. Sora shut her eyes tight, and cursed Tai for taking his time getting dressed. Mimi walked into the dorm, and shot Sora a funny look.

"Oh, shut up," Sora said, throwing her pillow at Mimi. "Besides, I'm not the one wearing the same clothes I had on yesterday," she teased. Mimi blushed, and threw the pillow back.

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As they hurried off to class nearly an hour later, Sora couldn't help but smile. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that, just over one year ago, she had gotten stranded at her mother's for one month.

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**I really hope everyone liked the story, because I had a great time writing it. **

**There is a sequel to this, called _Our Nineteenth Year_. Be sure to visit my profile and check it out. **

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my very first fic! **

**-Pinkdigi**


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